


A Royal Scam (Nico di Angelo/Will Solace)

by vulpixal



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-05-16 08:11:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14807582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulpixal/pseuds/vulpixal
Summary: Nico's world is full of darkness, stars, the moon, and the night sky, as it should be, since he lives in the kingdom of eternal night as the eldest prince. But when he sees his first dawn and realizes he must let his sister go and marry some random prince in the Kingdom of Diell, obviously, he's not just gonna roll over and play nice. Especially when he meets the guy and realizes how hard he's falling for him.





	1. Marriage Sucks

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time ever writing on AO3 so if I screw up or can do something to make my story better and/or more appealing, please tell me!!! I'm still trying to figure out how this all works, but I hope you enjoy my story nonetheless! Also, if you think my kingdom names are weird, just know that they are words I translated into different languages!! Like Lunares is luna in Latin, and Diell is sun in Albanian.

"Nico! Wake up!" Someone screamed in the prince's ears, abruptly causing him to shriek and scramble away. As he tried to focus on what was happening, he found his giggling little sister on the foot of his bed.

"Hazel! I told you not to do that!" Nico exclaimed, throwing a soft pillow at her. It hit her in the head, but that only resulted in her laughing even harder. He glared at her, but it had no effect. So, he laid back down and closed his eyes, determined to ignore her until she left.

"Nico!" She whined, smacking his bare back. She didn't hit hard enough for it to hurt, so he was content with just letting her do it until she tired herself out. But when she did, she switched to yelling.

"Nico! Nico di Angelo! You! Ugly boy with black hair! Emo! Niccaroni! Nicoooooo!" This continued until she huffed and got off his bed. He smirked, thinking she had left. In reality, she had walked over to the curtains and ripped them open. Nico hissed as sunlight erupted behind his eyelids, and reluctantly sat up on his own.

"You're up! Finally!" Hazel said as she wrapped a small hand around his wrist and dragged him out of his beloved bed. He groaned as he was taken to the doors that opened up to his closet. Hazel yanked on his arm, signalling for him to get up. Not wanting to get screeched at again, he did as she requested and followed her inside his closet. Racks and racks of clothing met him, all of which had something in common; they were all black. Hazel looked around, trying to find the cheeriest thing her big brother owned. She soon realized her endeavor was fruitless and opted to instead look for the brightest color of black he owned.

"Why are you so happy?" Nico asked as she scanned through a row of tunics. She giggled and grabbed a dark gray coat. "Father said he has a surprise for us during breakfast! And I don't think he's gonna tell us unless you're there, so hurry!" She exclaimed, throwing the clothes she had grabbed at her brother's face. Nico caught them with faint interest and motioned for Hazel to leave while he changed. Before she left, however, she pecked his cheek and rushed out of the small room, leaving Nico with a small smile on his face.

He dressed himself rather quickly, and when he walked back into his room, he saw two servants already making his bed and fixing his curtains from when Hazel ripped them open. But the moment they realized he was in their presence, they stopped everything and bowed at him with the utmost respect. Nico didn't pay them any heed and left, not wanting to be late and disappoint Hazel.

The halls of the Lunares castle were as dark as the night sky, giving little way to light and drowning anyone walking through in utter darkness. Nico, though he would never admit it, still stumbled in the halls as he tried to find his way around. But he liked it this way. Shrouded in darkness, he walked until he saw the small sliver of light under the dining room doors. He pushed them open curtly, almost slamming into a servant who had been on his way out. The man muttered quick yet sincere apologies as Nico walked by, but the prince didn't even look at him or acknowledge his presence.

His stepmother Persephone gave him a small smile as he sat down, to which he gave her a nod. "Nico! I see Hazel was an effective alarm system." His father, King Hades, joked. Hazel beamed in response to this.

Nico rolled his eyes at her. She only stuck her tongue out in reply.

The royal family waited silently as servants rushed inside, setting plates of food down onto the table and leaving as quick as possible, scared of drawing attention to themselves. Then, as quickly as they had flooded the room, they left, leaving Persephone to break the silence by asking Hazel, "So how did you sleep last night dear?" Hazel gasped and began explaining her dreams in full detail.

Normally, Nico would've listened and given witty commentary, but he couldn't help but stare at his father as Hazel spoke. Hades was known for being the ever stoic King of the Lunar Kingdom. A man who was rumored to be one of the cruelest kings of all and held his kingdom in an iron fist. A man with an army of demons at his disposal and a kingdom of monsters and darkness. But the man sitting before Nico seemed nervous and rather on edge. Nico was tempted to ask him why he seemed so off, but he didn't know if he'd like the response. If something had the ability to make Hades scared, Nico could only imagine how horrible it could be.

"... so I'm sitting there, the dog is choking, I'm slipping on the ice, and Cerberus is floating- Nico!" Hazel yelled, causing her brother to whip in her direction with a nervous, "W-What?!" She sighed in exasperation. "You're supposed to be listening!" Nico scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry Haze. What about your dream?" He asked, and immediately, her eyes brightened again. Sometimes Nico had to wonder if she was really only one year younger than him. "So anyways, I-" Hazel was abruptly cut off by her father. "That's enough Hazel." He said, the nervous energy inside of him building up.

She faltered, but nodded, looking down at her plate. The sight made Nico fell very defensive of his sister, and was going to confront his father had he not continued, "I have some... news." Hazel gasped and stared at her father. "Oh yeah! That announcement!" She was suddenly very excited. This relieved Nico to some degree, but he wasn't sure her happy attitude would continue much longer given how uncomfortable her father looked. In fact, Nico nearly gasped as his father tugged at his collar, trying to release some of his anxious energy.

"I uh..." He started, staring at Hazel with... sadness. He seemed so sad. Hazel realized it, and her smile faded. "Dad? What's wrong?" She asked, and Nico squinted his eyes at his father, beckoning him to go on. Hades cleared his throat, but felt a sudden reassurance when Persephone clasped his arm, giving it a loving squeeze. He turned to look at her, and she gave him a nod, as if saying 'go on'. The king looked at his two children and the empty seat beside Nico before sighing. "Recently, as you've noticed, our kingdom has had its first taste of sun in over five thousand years."

Nico immediately realized why his father was so nervous. A year ago, if you had told the eldest prince that he would wake up and the sun would be in the sky, he would've laughed. No, Lunares never got sun. Just endless night. Occasionally the moon would be a bit brighter, but that was all. Until a year ago, when he woke up only to find his kingdom in panic as the sun floated above, casting the streets in sunlight. If Nico was to be honest, he thought the world was ending when that happened, and he had to hold Hazel until she stopped crying.

To this day, no one knew why, but suddenly, the kingdom had a night _and_ a day. Nico stared at his father, but felt disappointment nestle in his chest when he said, "We still don't know why the sun has traveled into our kingdom, but a recent report from the Kingdom of Diell has shown that about a year ago, they started to have night." Hazel gasped and Nico felt his eyes widen.

The Kingdom of Diell was known for having endless day and clear skies at all times, so the fact that they had night at all was appalling. Hades looked down and continued, ignoring the reactions he was recieving for his words, "Recently, I came in contact with Queen Hecate. She has informed me that there is a reason this is happening. It's magic." Nico grit his teeth.

Magic was very real, but it was forbidden to use since you break the laws of nature in doing so. It was outlawed in every kingdom except the Kingdom of Sahar. Where Queen Hecate ruled.

It was arguably the smallest kingdom in the land, but because of her allowance of magic, no one dared attack it, for fear of what her army was capable of. And though the kingdom was quite closed off, Hecate and Hades were friends, so they often communicated. "I thought she swore only to perform magic in her own lands!" Nico exclaimed, suddenly furious that it was a single person's fault that his kingdom and family had gone through horror and hysteria. Hades only shook his head, both denying Nico's accusation and telling him to sit. Nico did so.

"She claims this isn't being done by a sole human. She says this is nature's way of communicating a message."

"So what is it?" Hazel asked, not in annoyance, but in awe. Hades swallowed, his adams-apple bobbing. "The story is quite long, but Hecate told me the sun and moon will continue to act this way... unless..." Hades trailed, seemingly unable to go on. Almost like it was too painful. Persephone sighed and intertwined their fingers. "Hades is having trouble coming to terms with what needs to happen. I am too, but it's only fair you children know now." She stared at them, and said, "Hecate claims the way this was fixed before was by uniting the Kingdom of Lunares and the Kingdom of Diell." Nico slumped back in his chair, utterly disappointed in the anti-climactic result of this conversation. "So what?" He asked, annoyed with how nervous he had been moments before. "That just means you have to sigh a couple documents and shake someone's hand-"

"I didn't finish Nico." Persephone said. This effectively made him close his mouth.

She sighed, staring at Hazel. "The kingdoms must unite, but only under..." Hazel's eyes gleamed gold as she stared into her stepmothers. Persephone suddenly looked as sick as Hades, but managed to sputter out, "... marriage. The kingdoms can only unite under marriage."

The feeling in the room suddenly grew tense. Hazel's eyes widened to saucers and she froze. When she finally moved, she lifted a finger to herself, and said, "M...Me?" Persephone bit her lip. "Yes honey... you. You were the only princess we had, and King Apollo was only willing to let his eldest son marry into this-" Persephone gasped as Nico shot up so fast his chair flung backwards.

He slammed his pale hands onto the table, shaking the dishes and making his father snap out of his daze. "What the hell do you mean marriage?!" He yelled, not remembering what it was like to be this furious. Hades swallowed and mumbled, "There wasn't anything I could do-" Nico growled and punched the table again. "Yeah right! So what, you're just gonna listen to a crackhead queen babble about magic and take her every word for it! You just gave away you're daughter you mother-"

"Nico!" Persephone exclaimed, cutting him off. The prince grit his teeth, but didn't stop yelling. Not yet. Not until Hades realized how wrong this was. "You're gonna let some boy marry the only daughter you have left! He could be a pedophile!"

"He's a year older then you." Hades replied, but if anything, that made Nico more furious. Nico was seventeen, so that meant the prince of Diell was eighteen, meanwhile Hazel was close to sixteen, but she was still technically fifteen.

"Oh! Even better! He can drink alcohol and buy a gun! That's exactly the kind of man I want my little sister to marry! Way to go dad!" This made Hades sigh.

"Nico, I don't like this anymore then you do-" But Nico wasn't done. "What's gonna happen when they're expected to have an heir, huh?! What then?! What if he doesn't care if Hazel wants to wait?! What if he turns out to be abusive-"

"Nico!" Persephone hissed, and gestured to the side. Nico looked over, and locked eyes with Hazel. She was staring at him, slack-jawed in horror at everything he was suggesting, as if his words had finally dawned on her, and these were all possibilities.

Nico swallowed and bit his tongue. But he still turned back to his father and said, "What about Bianca?! Huh?! What if she was here?! Would you so easily wed her off?! How do you think she would feel about you giving Hazel away to a complete stranger?!" 

Hades' eyes widened and he stood as well. "Nico di Angelo! I've heard enough of this! You don't think I'm scared for Hazel's well-being?! Do you actually think I _want_ this?! I _have_ to do this! If it was my own freedom, I'd do the same as well! Because that is my duty as king of this kingdom! We aren't the only families that are afraid of the sun when it comes out, so stop suggesting that I, for even _one second_ , was okay with this when I first heard it was our only option!"

Nico wanted to argue. He wanted to say something, but when he looked at Hazel, every bit of fighting spirit died, as if being stamped on. She just stared at the wall, tears silently streaming down her face as she watched everyone argue. 

 _It's my fault._ Nico gave his father one last glare before stomping away, making sure his father could hear every single thump of defiance. When he reached his room, he slammed the door shut so loud he thought he might've broken it off its hinges. But it stayed in place, and kept the sounds of him throwing books at the wall and yelling curses sealed in his room, leaving only Nico to hear his destruction as it echoed off the marble floors and wooden walls.


	2. Arguments Suck

Nico didn't leave his room for a week. His parents and the servants were smart enough to steer clear of his chambers, but Cerberus wasn't. The three-legged dog would bound into his room occasionally, a small rubber ball in his mouth.

But Nico wouldn't react. He had run out of the strength to throw things, so he just laid in bed for hours on end, only getting up to use the bathroom and eat, though he would eat in his room. The castle walls were thin, so Nico found out that Hazel was going to formally visit the Kingdom of Diell the day after tomorrow. She was expected to stay there until the wedding, and when that was over, she and her "husband" would decide where to live together. Every time he thought about it, a cold feeling would wrap around Nico's heart until he got up and threw something else.

It was night when Nico got his first visitor in five days. He was awoken by a soft poke to his nose. His dark lashes fluttered open to meet amber irises. Hazel stood there, noticeably disheveled from sleeping. Her white nightgown contrasted the black walls of Nico's room, so he immediately noticed how she was hunched over. Nico sat up fully when he realized how sad she looked. "Hey Haze. What's wrong?" 

She looked down, but she didn't say anything. Then, Nico's heart weakened when she held her arms out.

He wrapped her in a brotherly embrace as she cried into his shoulder, whimpering and sputtering incoherent words. He ran his hands through her tangled locks and stayed silent as she sobbed, reluctant to let go until she was finished.

But she slowly pulled away and looked at him, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "I don't wanna get married..." She muttered, and Nico nodded. "I know..."

Hazel pulled away completely and climbed onto his bed, sitting beside him and curling up into a ball like a cat. "I just..." She sniffled. "The things you said at breakfast... what if you're right? What if he is abusive..? What if he..." she trailed, not wanting to say what she feared, but Nico understood.

He laid down beside her, also on his side so he could look at her. "Haze... I only said those things because I was... I was scared. I already lost her, I can't bear to lose you too..." Hazel bit her lip and pat her big brother's head. 

Nico smiled at her for the first time in a week. "Now, granted, you're not going to be standing within twenty feet of him unless I'm standing behind him with a sword to his back, and you will have pepper spray on you at all times." This made Hazel giggle through her tears. Nico continued, "But... I can't keep this from happening. I wish I could Haze."

She stopped grinning, and instead looked down. "I know." Nico frowned.

"But, if he tries anything, and I mean _anything_ , he's going to be coughing up blood for a week straight. I won't let him do anything to you Hazel. I promise. I'll protect you." She pursed her lips together and grabbed Nico's pale fingers in her hands. They were so warm compared to his ice cold touch. 

"I know you will..." she mumbled, and looked up at him. "Can I... sleep here? I had a bad dream." 

This put Nico on edge. Hazel never had bad dreams. So he nodded.

"Yeah. Definitely." She smiled and grabbed his covers, sliding under them and sleeping on the right side of Nico's bed while he slept on the left. 

"You're the best big brother in the world." She said, holding his hand again. He felt his eyes widen, and he was going to reply, but Hazel's eyes had closed. Within seconds, she was letting out soft snores.

Although she had fallen asleep, Nico's heart swelled at her words, and for a moment, he thought he could cry. But he smiled instead, and squeezed her hand before drifting into slumber.

When he woke, Hazel had left at some point, leaving him alone in his room. To everyone's surprise, Nico walked into the dining room. Persephone actually gasped when she noticed her stepson sit down in his usual seat.

"Good morning Nico." She said, to which he didn't even acknowledge her words. Hazel sat across from him, but when they locked eyes, she didn't put an "L" on her forehead, or cross her eyes. She just looked at him and gave him a smile. A weary, utterly depressed smile that was clearly forced, and Nico, of all people, would know what a forced smile looked like.

Their servants were quick as usual, rushing in, setting the table, and scuttling out like crabs from a tidal wave.

Persephone and Hazel engaged in polite conversation, but neither really seemed to want to speak at the moment. Hades stared at his food, not touching it or his silverware. Nico broke the silence.

"So she's leaving tomorrow?" He asked, staring at his father. Persephone and Hazel halted their discussion.

Hades looked up, holding himself as if he hadn't slept in days. But he nodded. "That's right."

Nico nodded. "So she'll be alone?" Hades gave him a look, as if wondering if Nico had lost it.

"Of course not. She'll be escorted by the finest guards we have." Nico scoffed.

"The finest?" Hades squinted at Nico. "Young man, I understand your fury. But I will not have a repeat of last week if you came here to start something."

Nico bit his tongue. If he continued like this, he wouldn't get what he wanted. So he switched tactics. "No... I didn't. I'm just concerned for Hazel's safety, that's all. In my opinion, guards in general aren't useful in this situation. They could get bribed too easily, and I wouldn't feel safe if two large, armed men whom I don't even know watched my sister as she traversed into an unknown kingdom."

Hades sat up straighter, considering this. "Then what do you propose, Nico? That I send her there alone?" Nico shook his head and stood. Not aggressively like last time, but with enough force that said 'I'm taking a stand'.

"Let me go with her." Hades' eyes widened.

"Absolutely not!" He replied. Nico grit his teeth. "I can't have you attending something as important as this just to have your own selfishness lead you to do something rash!"

"I won't! I swear!" He replied, and his father shook his head. 

"I'm sorry, i don't trust you. You'll more then likely threaten the poor prince or say something insulting to someone of importance, and if you did such a thing, they might reject the marriage and these sacrifices might be for nothing." Nico knew that what his father made sense, but he had to go.

He _had_ to.

"Father," someone else said in a small, meek voice. All eyes turned to Hazel as she stood as well. "I..." She glance at Nico and took a deep breath. Then, she looked back at her father, and for once, Nico saw stone cold defiance in her eyes. "I won't be going to Diell unless Nico comes too."

Nico had never been more proud.

Hades tilted his head, almost not believing Hazel's sudden resistance to his will. "What?" He asked.

Hazel hesitated, not used to talking back. But she persevered anyway, "Nico's right. I was too nervous to tell you, but those guards you assigned to escort me don't make me feel safe in any way. To be honest, they scare me. And also, I don't think they would do as good a job as Nico. He's my brother, so naturally he'll be more protective."

Hades looked to be considering Hazel's feelings in the matter more then any argument he had heard so far. He sighed and said, "I completely agree, but I'm afraid he'll try to protect you too much-"

"He won't!" Hades raised an eyebrow, and his daughter amended, "I-I mean... I won't let him. The second he does anything rash, impulsive, and/or rude, I'll send him home!" This caught Hades' attention.

He looked at Nico. "Y-Yeah! I'll let her do it! The second she wants to send me home, I'll do it, no questions asked!" He exclaimed, desperate beyond belief at this point.

Hades stared at his son. He clearly didn't believe his words. Nico understood why, but wished he didn't. His father stared into his eyes as if staring into his soul, trying to figure out Nico's intentions, if he had any that were ill, and find a reason to deny his request. Nico realized he had been holding his breath when his father sighed and turned to Hazel.

"Is it true? Will Nico's presence make you feel safe?" He asked, and Hazel nodded, her hair bobbing up and down.

Hades stared down at his lap, and turned to Persephone when the queen squeezed his arm. "Maybe this is best..?" She said, nudging her head in Nico's direction. "I'm sure he's capable of behaving himself. Right Nico?"

The prince nodded like a puppy being asked if he wanted treats. Hades sighed. "Fine. You can leave with her tomorrow and I'll relieve her escorts of their duty."

The overwhelming relief that settled in Nico's chest almost made him cry from sheer joy. But instead, he nodded and sat down, Hazel doing the same.

Breakfast ended soon after, and as Nico left, his father called out to him. "Nico."

The prince turned around to meet his father's gaze as Hazel and Persephone left the room arm-in-arm.

The king stood and walked over to Nico. He towered over Nico by at least two feet, and his brown eyes made the prince feel as though he was made of nothing but see through glass.

But Hades merely placed a hand on his son's black haired head and whispered, "Promise me you'll protect her."

Nico nodded with no hesitation. "I'll protect her with my life." He had never meant something more in his life then he did at that moment. Hades seemed to realize that, and he walked away, leaving Nico in the dining room.

Tomorrow came sooner then Nico could've ever anticipated. It might've been because he had been drowning in worry for Hazel and their trip for so long he lost track of time until he feel asleep, but he was awoken before the sun could rise by a servant who seemed scared to even breathe in the same direction as Nico.

The prince shooed the man out of his room when he reluctantly sat up and stared at the ceiling. "I..." He trailed as he looked up into the clouds where the gods sat. "I know I don't pray to you guys anymore... but please. Please make this thing fall through. Or... at least let this prince not be an asshole? Please..." He sighed, wondering just how stupid he must look praying to entities that probably didn't exist.

A knock at his door caused him to wihp his head around so fast his neck popped. "Uh... come in."

Hazel stepped inside, wearing a black dress with crimson jewels strung around her neck. It was fitted to hug her body, not tightly, thankfully, and the sleeves were long and loose. The skirt went to her feet and was fitted with layer upon layer of cloth, each with small, subtle jewels hat glistened in the dim light of his room. Nico had never seen her wear something as dark as she was now, and she giggled at his surprise. "Mom said I should represent Lunares, even if it's not what I would normally wear. Also," she reached behind her head, and Nico squinted his eyes in disbelief as she flipped a hood over her head. "Diell's light is too bright for our eyes, so we have to wear hooded clothing until our eyes adjust."

Nico laughed at that. Hazel did too and added, "You're gonna look more emo then you already do! I didn't think it was possible." He smirked and threw a pillow at her. She gasped and dodged.

"I have make up on!" This made Nico's smile vanish immediately. Hazel never wore make up. She never had a reason to.

Hazel noticed and looked down. "I... I wanna make a good impression."

Nico's frown didn't waver, but he nodded and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He was going to his closet when Hazel intercepted him. "Oh! I came here to bring you this. Mom picked it out. She said that if I need to make a good impression, you do too."

This made him sigh and take the stack of black clothing she offered. "Be ready in thirty minutes. We're leaving in forty." She said, and to Nico's relief, she pecked his cheek like she always did, and hurried out so he could change.

When he buckled the belt, he looked in the mirror, and wanted to laugh. He had never worn something so extra. Lunares ambassadors and the royal family never went to international meetings or parties being held in other kingdoms, but they were always invited as a courtesy. Because of their lack of attendance, Nico assumed Persephone was pulling out all of the stops to make sure it was known that they weren't poor. His outfit was a black tunic with silk sleeves, like Hazel's, and buttons made of black agate gems. His dark grey trousers went to his knees and he grabbed pair of black boots from his closet. The collar of his tunic was one he expected Dracula to use, for it stood up and encircled his neck. It made him chuckle as he attached his sword sheath to his belt.

Once it was appended, he grabbed the Stygian iron sword he left on the wall above his fireplace and sheathed it inside the black leather, more then willing to us it if need be.

When he arrived in his courtyard, Persephone and Hades were waiting hand-in-hand for him by the carriage. Nico watched servants walk by, heaving his luggage on their backs as he walked down the palace steps. Persephone gave him a smile, the slowly rising sun shining on her features. The sky was still cast in varying shades of yellow, orange, blue, and purple, but the stars were gone, and if they didn't hurry, they would get caught in the sunlight.

So their goodbyes were short and sweet, and they all seemed to be okay with that. Persephone wrapped her arms around her stepchildren as if they were her own and didn't let go until Hazel began gasping for breath. 

Hades gave his daughter a much softer embrace, but she seemed to love it just as much. When Nico looked at his father, they shared a staring contest for a moment. Then, Hades sighed and wrapped his arms around his son, to which Nico did the same. "I swear if Hazel returns as defiant as you..." the king trailed, and Nico chuckled.

They released and gave each other small grins. 

Hazel and Nico left soon after.

"You know," Hazel started, tearing Nico's gaze away from the window as the carriage hit another bump. "I'm actually kind of excited."

He looked at her as if she had just grown an extra head. Hazel giggled and looked out the window just as he had been doing moments before. "The sun is beautiful once you get used to it. Yeah the marriage sucks, but... at least the sun lights up the world over there. I always thought Lunares was kind of scary."

Nico shrugged and followed her gaze. "I like it that way." She belted out a laugh.

"Of course _you_ do." She replied, and if Nico had a pillow, he would've thrown it at her.


	3. This Kingdom Sucks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updates may be a little less frequent for a while; I have a lot of irl commitments that take up a lot of my time, but I'll post as much as I can!!

It took Nico and Hazel three days to reach Diell. Three days of utter boredom for Nico, but three days of wonder for Hazel.

You couldn't pry her face away from the window unless you had a crowbar. Every time she saw a mountain range she would gasp only for Nico to remind her it was the same one she had seen five minutes ago. When she saw a river, she would squeal with delight as the water flowed through the ground and sunlight gleamed on the surface, giving it a luminescent effect. You should've heard the shrieks she emitted when she saw a rainbow.

But when they entered Diell, Nico could practically feel it. His entire body felt lighter, and a warm feeling settled into his nerves. But it quickly turned into overwhelming heat. He read somewhere that wearing black when the sun was out wan't advisable, that it made you hotter. He silently cursed his mother as he fanned his face.

Hazel had it worse though. There was so much fabric around her body that Nico thought her make up would melt off. The sun pooled in through the carriage windows, and even as it reflected off the carpet, Nico became blinded. He threw his hood over his head, but Hazel still sacrificed her eyes to get a glimpse of the kingdom. From what Nico could understand from her ramblings, Diell was truly a kingdom of the sun.

Beaches surrounded it on almost sides, and the ocean spanned as far as the horizon would allow it. The buildings were nothing like the ones in Lunares; these structures were devoid of roofs, made of some sort of sandstone material, and the villagers clothing was much more revealing then the modest fashions of Nico's kingdom. Men were walking around with their torsos exposed and women walked around with shirts that only went to half of their stomach. Some even wore nothing but cloth tied around their bust and a pair of shorts.

Hazel was entranced by these fashion choices, meanwhile Nico kept his eyes closed, not trying to lose his ability to see. "The castle!" He heard her exclaim. Even though he felt the castle might be the brightest thing in the entire kingdom, he was still tempted to look. So he squinted his eyes until he could barely see anything past his lashes, and gasped as the glimmer of the castle caught his eye immediately. And then burned it.

He shrunk away from the window as quick as possible, making Hazel giggle. It looked rather morbid though, mostly because of the tears streaming down her face. Nico knew they weren't emotional, just her body's natural reaction to so much light suddenly entering her retinas, but he became very concerned for her.

Yet she didn't seem to care as the light nearly blinded her in every direction she looked. Nico sighed at her antics and closed his eyes again.

When the carriage lurched to a stop, Hazel tumbled to the floor, and Nico slammed his foot into the bench across from him to keep from flying forward. His sister giggled at the mishap and stood. "This is it I guess." She said, and Nico watched with his eyes still squinted as she flipped the hood over her head.

They watched the footman approach the carriage door, and Nico felt his heart lurch. He grabbed Hazel's arm in a gentle squeeze as she stepped for the door. He swallowed and voluntarily wrapped his arms around her, and she gasped in surprise when he pecked her forehead. "I'll protect you." He whispered when he pulled away.

She smiled from under her hood and nodded. "I know."

The door swung open. She pursed her lips and whispered, "Wish me luck!"

Then, she stepped out. The footman who helped her down the stairs received a thank you from the princess, and she stepped onto the ground. It was made of a material that reflected the sun rays exceptionally, and she wanted to admire it had a voice not made her snap her head up.

"Miss. Levesque!" She felt rather shocked when she looked up and saw who it was. A very tall man with sandy blond hair and bright, glowing sun-kissed skin and eyes that reflected the sun so well it was impossible to tell their color.

But when she saw how luxurious his outfit was and noticed the golden crown on his head, she gasped and gave him a curtsy. "Y-Your highness!" She exclaimed, and he let out a laugh. He gave her a kind, warm smile, and she noticed how white his teeth were compared to the tan tint of his skin.

"There's no need for that, the honor is mine. Welcome to Diell. I hope the sun wasn't too bright." He said, and Hazel smiled. "Not at all!" She lied. "Although I will admit, it's much more then I'm used to."

He nodded and gestured behind her. "And who may that be?" 

Hazel turned around to see Nico stepping down onto the pavement, his hands shoved in his pockets. "This is my brother. He's my escort." Nico bowed, keeping himself from yelling obscenities at the king.

"I see. Welcome then, my boy! Nico, was it? Please, come inside! You must be dying from the heat." Although the two siblings didn't say anything, King Apollo could notice how relieved they became when they realized they could escape the sun.

The steps were mountainous to Nico, the railing made of the same material as the stairs, but with little gold statues of naked, winged babies on them. Hazel pointed to one with its arms crossed and eyes shut in defiance. Then, she pointed at Nico and mouthed, 'same person'. He elbowed her, to which she chuckled.

The massive doors closed behind them when they reached the top, and Hazel immediately dropped her hood. The king took in her face as quick as he could, not wanting this to be awkward for her. She had bronze, curly hair that went close to her mid back and dark, chocolate brown skin. Her eyes were almost the same shade of amber as her hair, and she was undeniably beautiful. 

However, much to his disappointment, her brother did not remove his hood.

"I made sure the hallways were a bit dimmer then usual to accommodate to your vision. I hope you'll find that it's bearable." Hazel nodded in response. 

"Very much so! Thank you!" She smiled, almost reinforcing her sincerity. The king gave her a grin in response and led them down hallway after hallway. "It'll be dusk soon, and I assume you both are very tired from the journey here. You'll find that your rooms are the finest in the castle, rivaling even my own chambers."

Hazel nodded, a question floating in the back of her mind, though she was too afraid to insult him by asking it. Thankfully, her brother had no filter and could practically read her mind, so he blurted, "Where is the prince?"

King Apollo didn't falter in his step. "Ah. Will Solace is the man of whom you speak. He's currently in the Kingdom of Warimati. King Ares wanted to talk of diplomacy with my son face-to-face. But he'll be returning tonight and will be ready to meet with you tomorrow morning." He looked over his shoulder and gave them a reassuring smile. Nico nodded, and Hazel smiled as well.

A few more twists and turns, and Nico found himself in a dark hallway with two rooms at the end of it. Both had doors made of bright birch, handles forged of iron, showing him his reflection. 

"Well this is it. If you need anything, just ring the bell on your nightstand. Our servants are happy to help with anything, but I must warn you; after dusk it might take them a little longer to respond. They tend to fear the night." Nico and Hazel looked down but nodded.

"I hope you two have a good night's rest! Feel free to join breakfast whenever you wish tomorrow." And with that, the king walked away, leaving Hazel and her brother alone.

The second his footsteps faded, Nico dropped his hood, revealing his near-white skin and dark, obsidian eyes. "He looks exactly as I thought he would." Hazel nodded in response.

"Tell me about it." The two stared at each other, almost communicating silently. Then, she released a sigh. "Thank the gods Will isn't here yet." Nico shrugged.

"I don't know. Now I have to wait to gut him, and I'm already getting impatient." Hazel slapped his arm. "You promised to behave Nico. I don't want him thinking Lunares is a kingdom of demons." He grumbled at that. Then, she yawned.

"You should get to bed. You stayed up for two days so you could watch the sky change colors." Hazel laughed at his words and looked down, only then allowing Nico to see her eye bags.

"You're right. Goodnight Nico." She said before squeezing his arm lovingly. She turned, walking to the room on the right. Nico waited in the hallway until he heard her door click shut.

Then, he walked into the room on his left. He didn't even bother removing his clothing because he was so tired he just fell onto the bed. His eyes snapped shut as he made contact with the pillow, suddenly realizing why King Apollo had been so prideful of his guest rooms.

But it felt as if Nico had just blinked, because he woke up again. With a groan, he looked at the window. Pale, dim light streamed through, and Nico realized that it was night. He swung his legs onto the floor, wanting to scope out the palace a little more while his eyes didn't need to readjust every second. The hallway was almost as dark as it was back in Lunares, but not quite. He could still see his hand in front of his face, so he could tell these people had no idea how little sun they allowed into their castle back home.

The prince sighed and stalked down the passageway, taking in the checkerboard pattern on the tiles below his feet. The occasional candelabra on the wall kept the halls illuminated just enough so that he could see at least a few steps in front, but he was so mesmerized by the floor patterns that he didn't notice the figure stumbling towards him.

When he did though, they had already collided. Nico fell backwards, just barely saving himself from a concussion by tucking his arms around the back of his head before he hit the floor. The other person wasn't so lucky. 

Nico was going to yell at them had they not sat up. He was, in Nico's opinion, gorgeous.

His hair was the same color as King Apollos, except his eyes were quite clearly a glimmering shade of sky blue. Freckles dotted his cheeks, and his tan skin complemented his golden locks as he rubbed his head.

But when the stranger locked eyes with Nico, he began sputtering, "Oh my gods, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?! Did I hurt you?! Did you hit your head?!" Meanwhile, Nico found himself staring this boy in the eyes for much longer then needed, suddenly lost in them. In his defense, the color blue was almost foreign to him, and to see a shade so bright... it was mesmerizing to the boy.

"Hello? Crap, are you hallucinating or something?" This snapped Nico out of it. 

"I'm fine." He said curtly. The boy nodded and held out a hand.

Nico stared at it before pushing himself up and batting it away. The boy didn't seem hurt by the gesture though, and gave him a smile that reminded Nico of the small glimpses of the sun he had seen.

"Sorry. That was my fault. I'm not used to it being so dark here, and I just got home from Warimati." The blond haired man scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, but the mention of Warimati caused Nico's head to pound.

"Are you..." He started, squinting at the man before him. "Are you Will Solace?"

Will swallowed. "Yeah." He didn't understand why he was so nervous around the black haired man in front of him. He was a head taller than the boy, but the way the he held himself was rather intimidating.

Nico felt rather conflicted. He could risk being sent home by threatening Will's life if he hurt his sister, or he could stay quiet and keep his thoughts to himself. Both made a sour taste erupt in his mouth.

"Uh... if you don't mind me asking," Will said, snapping Nico out of his daze. "Who are you? I've never seen you here before."

Nico stared at him for a moment, considering whether or not he should tell him. He was going to have to eventually, whether it be today or tomorrow. So he swallowed and said, "My name is Nico. Nico di Angelo of Lunares."

The look of utter shock on Will's face almost made Nico think that revealing his identity had been worth it. But then Will's expression changed. He looked scared.

From Will's perspective, this all made since. Nico's skin was so pale, his hair and eyes so dark... like he'd never seen the sun. The fact that he was from Lunares made perfect since. But Lunares was a place of shadows and monsters. And if he was a prince...

Now Will understood the hate. He was marrying this guy's sister.

"Oh Gods..." He trailed, and Nico raised an eyebrow. _My sister is marrying an idiot._

"Look, Nico," He started, making the boy laugh.

"Scared?" He asked, stepping closer to Will with a dark smirk on his face. Will felt sweat bead on his face.

"I, uh..." He was at a loss for words as he stared at the shorter prince. His dark brown eyes were twinkling with mischief, contrasting his pale skin in the dim light of the hallway.

But Nico faltered when Will stood up straight and looked him dead in the eye. "I don't know what you've heard of me, but... I assume Princess Hazel is your sister." 

Nico glared but nodded. "Look, I don't want this. I'm sure she doesn't either. But I swear to you I have no ill intentions." Will explained, and Nico rolled his eyes. "Okay. So I'm just supposed to take you're word for it?"

Will looked taken aback by his response, but continued nonetheless, "I don't expect you to, but I just want her to know that she doesn't need to be afraid of me." Nico scoffed.

"Yeah, alright. Just tell her not to be afraid! That'll work. Do you even understand what this is like for her? You don't, do you?" Will looked down. "Of course not. And you know what," Nico damned all the consequences of his actions as he unsheathed his Stygian iron blade. Will watched with caution as Nico placed the tip against his throat, candlelight gleaming off of it, as if taunting Will. "If you so much as touch a hair on her head without her consent, I will make you eat your own eye."

To Nico's surprise, Will didn't seem fazed by his words. He just placed a finger on the dull side of his blade and pushed it away. "I got it." He said.

Nico scowled and put his sword back. "You're not afraid at all, are you?" Will laughed.

"Dude, I'm terrified of you." Nico tilted his head in confusion. "But I get it. You're her brother, you have to protect her. I know what that's like. If my little sister Kayla was in this situation, I'd be doing the same thing as you."

This made the dark prince raise an eyebrow, and Will sheepishly laughed. "I mean, I wouldn't threaten to kill the guy but... I'd do something like this. Maybe with a little less... flare."

Nico made an effort not to laugh at that, and settled for squinting at his sister's betrothed. But he couldn't hide his flinch as Will placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, believe it or not, I'm not a creep, an alcoholic, or an abusive asshole. I just want you to tell your sister that if this wedding really does happen, I just want to be her friend. And yours too, if you'll let me." Then, he smiled.

It was so bright Nico thought he would go blind. He slapped the older prince's hand off of him and shoved past. "I still mean what I said. Touch her and you die."

Will didn't respond as Nico stalked off, seeming to carry shadows with him. The prince didn't say anything, but when he had looked into Nico's eyes, he saw pure, raw emptiness. As if he had been vacant of something that was very much needed.

He reminded Will of a puppy that had been disowned by someone it had loved greatly. It would snarl at others when they got too close and bite if touched, yet it was all so the poor thing would never get attached to someone and have to go through the pain of losing them again.

Will couldn't help but wonder if that was the case with Nico. And if so, what happened to him?


	4. Today Sucks

Hazel and Nico walked in silence, listening only to the sound of their shoes clicking against the tiles as they walked. The curtains were drawn around all the windows, keeping sunlight from streaming in through the glass. Hazel guessed it was so their eyes wouldn't burn out. Even so, the two walked with their hoods drawn, trying their best to portray Lunares for what it was; a place of darkness and serenity.

However, it clashed tremendously with the carefree, warm and welcoming vibe Diell gave off. Hazel finally decided to speak, and said, "I'm really nervous."

Nico looked up, noticing she hadn't turned around to look at him as she spoke. So he replied, "I know. Just be yourself. Remember-"

"I know, I know," she interrupted and looked over her shoulder. "You'll protect me."

Nico nodded, making her giggle. "You're the worst." She said, and he scoffed. 

"I'm just looking out for you." He replied, and she nodded. "Thank you for that." 

He smirked before pausing in front of a grand door made of ash wood with solid gold decals. Just as he was about to knock, the doors swung open.

Inside was a massive table larger than three king beds, and  ~~~~seven equally spaced chairs surrounding it. At the head sat King Apollo dressed in a shimmering golden cloak with white fur edges, a matching crown atop his blond locks. When he noticed the arrival of the two siblings, he paused his conversation and exclaimed, "Miss. Levesque! Good morning."

Nico didn't decide to dwell on the fact that King Apollo didn't even acknowledge him, and instead opted to bow. Hazel curtsied and said, "Yes! It was wonderful to wake up with the sun."

Apollo laughed. "We'll see if you still stand by that statement in a month." Nico tilted his head in confusion, unaware that Hazel did the same. "No matter. Will,"

That caught the attention of the prince who had been progressively sinking farther into his seat the moment Nico arrived. Will shot up in surprise, his cheeks a red hue, and exclaimed, "Y-Yes!"

Hazel almost gasped at the similarities between the king and his son. The same tanned, sun-kissed skin, and bright blond strands of hair. But Will's eyes were bright blue, and he had freckles dotting his cheeks. Hazel also brilliantly deducted that Will was tall. _Very_ tall.

King Apollo motioned towards Hazel, and Will turned to look at her. The two stood there for a moment, not knowing how to react. Finally, Hazel took the initiative and walked up to him. 

"Hello." She said with a bright smile. He swallowed, and returned it. "Hi."

Then, he watched as she curtsied. "My name is Hazel Levesque, but Hazel is fine. And you're... Will?" Will took that as his cue to speak. 

"Yes! That's right, William Solace. That's my name." Hazel giggled. "That's a long name." She joked, and he amended, "Will. Call me Will please."

She nodded. "Alright Will. Pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasures mine." He said with a bow.

"Great! Now that you have been formally introduced, let's have breakfast." Apollo announced, earning an eye roll from, who Nico presumed was, his daughter. 

The girl sat across from Will, and had the same skin tone and freckles as him. Except instead of blond hair, her hair was accompanied with ginger locks. Her eyes were also a shade of blue, but they weren't as bright as Will's, from what Nico could tell.

She wore a sleeveless dress of gold, with a charm necklace tied with flimsy string and white gloves that went to her elbows. The skirt only went to her knees, and flared out in a drop waist fashion. But what caught Nico's eye was the shape of her gloves as they wrapped around her forearms. They seemed... bumpy. Almost like she was hiding something under them.

Then, Nico looked at the guy beside her. Unlike his family, his skin was a dark, chocolate brown. His eyes were a similar shade, and reflected the light in the room like a black mirror. His dark black hair was in corn rows shaped like a double helix, and he wore an outfit similar to Will's.

Nico then noticed three empty chairs in front of him, and realized they were for Hazel, Will, and him. So, he pulled the middle chair out and sat down, ignoring the raised eyebrow from his sister and Will's confused look.

But King Apollo said nothing, so Nico didn't feel pressured to move. Although, Will's sister did giggle at him a little. 

Breakfast was rather quiet. Nico just stared at his omelet, feeling as though there was a lump in his throat rendering him unable to swallow. He was so distracted by the pit in his stomach that he didn't notice Will's discrete glances towards him.

Will was curious as to why Prince Nico neglected to show his face like Princess Hazel had. While half of the hood was lifted on her face to reveal her fascinated brown eyes and plump lips, Nico's hood was drawn completely over, shadowing his entire face. His aura made him seem almost like a phantom; one that would haunt Will until he met his death.

In fact, he might very well do so now that Will would be his brother in law.

The thought almost made a shiver run down his back as Nico's hood turned in his direction, and suddenly, Will was very interested in his plate.

Nico rolled his eyes and turned to Hazel, who was introducing herself to Will's siblings. 

"I'm sure you already know my name, but I would like to know yours!" She exclaimed, a bright smile illuminating her features. Will silently thanked the gods that Hazel wasn't what he feared she might've been.

"My name is Kayla! That's Austin. Welcome to Diell. Sorry about the light." His sister replied, smiling back at Hazel. Nico watched as his sister smiled back and said hello to Austin, who gave her a friendly wave in return.

"Hi. Sorry you got paired with Will. I feel bad." He joked, and Hazel laughed. Will gaped at his brother in disbelief before a coughing interrupted the conversation.

"Miss. Levesque," Apollo started as everyone's attention turned to him. "I would like you to meet my wife, Naomi."

He gestured to the woman seated to his left. Nico immediately saw the resemblance between her and Will. They shared a similar nose structure. Not to mention the same curled hair, even though her's had more of a red tint. But what caught Nico's attention were her eyes. They were nearly identical to Will's; both a striking hue, and fortuitously gave him a feeling of warmth and comfort, almost like a soft fire was burning beneath their iris'. 

But she fixed them with a smile, and said, "It's wonderful to meet both of you. I heard you were beautiful Miss. Levesque, but even that doesn't give you justice." Hazel blushed at her words, and replied, "Thank you your highness, the same could be said of you."

Naomi chuckled and looked at the girl's brother. He sat still, frozen in place. In fact, it was almost as if, even in a room of bright light, shadows rippled off him like water. But she didn't falter in her smile as she spoke, "And you sir. A pleasure to meet you."

Nico nodded, but then he flinched. The children of Diell were confused by this reaction, not knowing Hazel had kicked his shin from under the table, and Nico said, "The pleasure is all mine your highness."

She nodded, and the family continued to eat in silence, trying to observe the siblings of Lunares and think of their next words. However, Austin quickly left, claiming he had etiquette lessons. This thoroughly confused Nico and Hazel. For royal families, etiquette lessons were usually complete by the age of twelve, but Austin appeared to be almost the same age as Nico, maybe older.

As he left, and the door shut behind him, the king popped his knuckles and stood. "Well, I must be returning to my study. Unfortunately, weddings require quite a lot of planning and paperwork." He said, and Hazel made sure no one noticed how those words made her feel. But Nico, being Nico, could tell, and held her hand from under the table. She felt him squeeze it, almost reminding her that he was here for her, even though up until then he hadn't let her forget. But the gesture still meant a lot to her seeing as how Nico hardly let anyone touch him. Let alone willingly touch someone else. So she squeezed back as the king continued, "Kayla, I expect you to show Miss. Levesque around Diell today."

This earned a gasp of disbelief from his daughter. "But dad-"

"No 'but's!" He cut in, and the girl slumped back in her chair and crossed her arms. "You will take her into the kingdom and give her a tour and that is final." Kayla huffed, but nodded, not meeting the king's gaze.

Hazel felt bad for ruining the girl's day, but Kayla's eyes suddenly brightened and she sat up, suddenly very happy as she said, "In that case, we should go now! C'mon Hazel, let's go have fun!"

Kayla practically jumped from her seat and gestured for Hazel to follow her out the door. Said girl turned to her brother, who nodded, as if saying he trusted Kayla, and soon, the door shut behind his sister as Kayla led her gods know where.

Queen Naomi stood and hooked arms with her husband as he said, "Will, I expect you to get acquainted with your future brother in-law by dinner. Until then, show him around wherever he wishes to go."

A shiver went down Will's spine at the prospect of spending the day with Nico, and he called after the king, "Wait, father-!" But the door shut behind him and his wife before Will could finish.

Will slowly turned to find Nico looking in his direction. The boy merely shrugged and threw his legs onto the table, crossing one over the other before saying, "Do what you want. I don't care."

Will stared at him for a minute, then said, "Well, I was hoping to visit the library today and go horseback riding. If you wanna come..." He trailed, and Nico raised an eyebrow.

 _It's not like I have anything better to do..._ "Fine." Nico decided.

Will gave him another show stopping smile, and he swung his legs off the table. They walked in awkward silence, Will too scared to say anything, and Nico being highly disinterested.

But a question finally floated to the surface of Nico's brain, and he asked Will, "I don't mean to pry, but why is Austin still taking etiquette lessons?"

Will pursed his lips together, trying to decide how to word his next sentence. Though the story was long, he felt compelled to tell Nico, so he did. "My parents were arranged to marry each other, so they're not really in love." Nico was utterly bewildered by those words. The king and queen seemed tied to the hip, but he didn't want to interrupt Will as he continued, "So my dad used to mess around quite a bit. And one day, he got a letter saying he had a kid living on the streets. We found Austin living with his mom about 3 years ago, and he's been catching up ever since."

Suddenly, Nico's mind pieced it all together, and he asked, "Is that the same case for Kayla?" Will nodded.

"My mom doesn't mind though. She and my dad are best friends, and the only time they ever did _it_ was to have me." He gestured to himself, and Nico bit his tongue to hold in a retort. He instead said, "Oh."

Then, silence enveloped the two again, leaving Will feeling awkward knowing they still had about twenty hallways until they reached the library. "Can I ask about..." Will cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very awkward as Nico raised his head to look at him. "About Hazel? What's she like?"

Nico glared at him from under his hood before saying, "That's for you to figure out."

Will sighed and slumped his shoulders. "I get that but... what does she like? You know, what's her favorite hobby? I want to have something to talk about when we have dinner tonight."

Nico looked at him from under his hood, studying his face. His eyes... gods his eyes... they were so captivating, so bright and warm...

Nico blinked his daze away and said, "Like I said, that's for you to figure out."

Will groaned, knowing Nico wouldn't say anything, and instead decided to get to know him instead. "So... what do _you_ like?"

The question almost made Nico freeze in shock. No one ever wanted to know about _him_. The weird, brooding brother of Hazel Levesque, the sweet, bubbly princess of Lunares. Nico may have been older, but people tended to block him out of memory. Pretending he didn't exist was better then speaking to him. Getting to know him.

But here he was, staring at someone in disbelief just because they wanted to know something personal about him. It was then that Nico realized he didn't have an answer; no one had ever asked. So his response was an awkward, "I... uh... I guess I like to... train..?"

Will tilted his head in confusion before saying, "What kind?"

The next answer was easier for Nico to voice. "Sword training."

Will nodded, his eyes bright with clarity. "Oh! You know, we have a sparring ring not too far from here, if you want to visit it today I'll take you. But I've only been there a couple of times. You see, I'm not one for hand-to-hand combat. Although, dad did make me take archery lessons for a year."

"How did it go?" Nico asked. 

Will shuddered. "Let's just say the wall behind the target took more arrows then the actual target." Nico coughed, and Will didn't realize that he was trying not to chuckle.

"What about you, Solace? What do you like?" Nico asked, interested to some degree, but also trying not to be too awkward. 

Will shrugged. "Not much if I'm to be honest. My classes usually take up most of my day, so I don't have time to indulge myself in things I enjoy." Will thought for a moment and said, "Well, that's not true. I actually enjoy learning about medical science." Nico noticed Will's eyes light up at the mention of the subject.

"So you like health stuff?" Nico asked.

Will laughed nervously. "Well, that's a vague way of putting it... but yeah, I guess that's what I mean."

Nico nodded. "So what do you know about it?" Will's blue eyes lit up again.

"I know a lot actually! Like how to perform CPR, how to reset joints, bandage sprains, stitch wounds, disinfect injuries, reattach limbs-" He cut himself off and turned to Nico sheepishly. "I'm probably boring you with this stuff, sorry."

Nico suddenly realized how long he had been staring at Will's speckled cheeks, and almost jolted away from him. "Yeah, you are." He deadpanned and stuck his hands in his pockets before slouching considerably.

Will pursed his lips together and sighed at his failed attempt at having a conversation with the prince. Meanwhile, Nico, still confused by his own actions, simply stared ahead, praying the library was close.

About another minute of silence made Will's ears ring, but when he saw the massive doors of the library down the hall, he picked up his pace. Nico did as well, and watched Will wrap his fingers around the golden handle of the doors. They swung open with a grand 'woosh', and Nico's mouth went agape.

There were four levels of the library, and every level above the ground floor was a balcony that rimmed the entire edge of the room with golden railing. The floor and walls were made of wood polished to the finest gleam, not a single scratch in sight, and rows upon rows of books stood before him; each dusted to perfection. The windows were as high as the ceiling and gave him a view of the cliff behind the castle and the ocean beyond it. Tables and chairs stood littered around the floor, and a ladder with wheels leaned against the bookshelf on his right. In fact, Will merely walked to it and swung on it, letting it carry him along the aisle. Nico watched him vanish behind a bookshelf, and realized he had lost him. 

But suddenly, Nico didn't care. Instead, he began looking around, trying to find something he might like. Nico had never really enjoyed books, so nothing was sparking his interest. But he did have to admit, the architecture was astounding. In the center of the entire library, a massive chandelier hung suspended in the air. It was a massive diamond monstrosity that reflected any light that dared touch it, making Nico shake his head at how superfluous the royal family was.

After a couple more minutes of searching, he realized nothing made him even bat an eye, so he decided to stare out the window. To his surprise, he saw Hazel. And then he saw Kayla.

Hazel was sitting on a bench behind Kayla. 

The latter had discarded her gloves at some point, revealing metal arm guards latched around her forearms. She had her legs spread about shoulder length wide and a bow was in her hands; drawn and ready to fire. Then, when she released, Nico had to hold in his gasp as she struck a dummy made of hay across the yard. It went through its head, and he watched Hazel politely clap.

"She's awesome, isn't she?" Someone asked from behind him. Nico whipped around, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Will jolted back, nearly dropping the three books in his arms in surprise.

When Nico realized there was no imminent threat, he loosened up his muscles and stood up straight. "What?" He asked.

Will snapped out of his daze and walked forward until he stood right beside Nico, staring down at his sister as she and Hazel began talking. "Kayla. Even though Austin and I loathed archery and sucked at it, she was practically a natural. Nowadays, she's outside training whenever she doesn't have classes or meetings to attend. I guess you two have that in common."

Nico squinted his eyes at the admiration and caring Will expressed when he looked at Kayla. Nico hated it.

He hated how every time he tried to hate Will, he just couldn't. And for someone that hates things for no reason whatsoever, that's saying something.

Will then turned to Nico, and smiled. "Okay! I got my books, I just need to get someone to take them to my room and then we can visit the sparring ring. Is that alright?"

Nico didn't respond at first, and Will feared the boy was concocting plans of murder. Meanwhile, Nico was focusing on the glimmer of the sun as it reflected off Will's eyes. It confused him. The sky wasn't even hard to see from here. If he turned his head only two inches to the right, he would see it in all its blue glory. But Will's blue remained more mesmerizing and bright that even the sky couldn't compare.

"Yeah." Nico mindlessly muttered, and Will smiled. "Alright, let's go."

He began walking away, and Nico did a double take, trying to remember what he just said yes to. But Will simply turned around as he reached the door and said, "You coming?"

Nico swallowed and nodded, walking towards him. The two walked side by side until leaving together, and Nico listened behind him for the library doors to click shut. Then, they did with a soft clink.


	5. Potential Friendship Sucks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hate mark brendanawicz i just wanted to make that clear

A servant made himself known by stepping in Will's view down the hall. After a small conversation, Will said, "Thanks Samuel! And good luck with Anya." The servant gave him a smiled before bowing and walking away.

The two princes walked a few more steps before Nico asked, "You know his name?"

Will nodded. "Of course. I know all of my servant's names. Anya is his cat by the way." Nico squinted his eyes.

"You know the name of every servant in this castle? Every one?" He continued, finding such a thing impossible. 

But Will merely nodded again and said, "Yeah. They've served me for eighteen years, so I felt it was only fair to know their names."

Nico swallowed. "Whatever." Will smiled at him and asked, "So do you only sword train?"

Nico paused. _He wants to know more?_ So he said, "I like to... sleep?"

Will threw his head back and laughed, and while Nico tried to figure out what was humorous about his words, he also tried to figure out why the sound made his stomach flutter. "What's so funny?" He exclaimed as Will calmed down.

"Nothing it's just... sleep? Really?" Will replied, making Nico grit his teeth. 

Will smiled again, and the flutter in Nico's stomach increased ten fold. "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh. I love to sleep too. Too bad I barely ever have time to."

"And why is that?" Nico asked, and watched as Will stopped smiling. Then, his eyes dimmed, and Nico imagined the sun vanishing behind the clouds on a stormy day. "I've started taking classes on how to run the kingdom. They said... they said that they're going to take my medical science classes out to make room."

Nico felt his mouth part, but nothing came out. So, he thought of what Hazel would say in a situation like this. "I'm sorry..."

The response shocked Nico almost as much as it shocked Will. Saying such a thing was the same thing as speaking a foreign language for Nico, but Will was gaping at him as if he had just grown a spare head.

"What?" He growled, annoyed with how long Will had been staring at him. The latter realized this and blinked a few times, thinking,  _There he is_.

Will began walking again, making Nico rush to catch up as he said, "Sorry. The sparring ring is on the ground floor, and we'll reach the stairs in a sec."

He nodded in response and the two resumed their ever pressing silence, neither too desperate to break it now. Finally, they reached the ground floor, but Nico was confused when Will walked over to a small servant's kitchen instead of the back doors standing dormant ahead of them. He followed the prince for a moment before saying, "What are you doing?"

Will shushed him by placing a finger on his mouth. Nico almost recoiled and stabbed Will at the contact, but instead slapped his hand away. "Dad doesn't like it when I go to the sparring ring. He thinks a prince shouldn't be in the presence of lowly guards in training, so the guards that keep the backdoor safe never let me go outside that way. Luckily," Will stepped around a counter, and Nico scrambled away when the prince merely shoved it to the side like it was nothing. It was then that Nico noticed the wheels on the bottom and the tracks nailed into the floor. A small, gold doorknob was on the wall. But what further confused him was the absence of a door. "I know a secret ring."

With a twist of his wrist, a newfound hole in the wall swung open. It was about as high as Nico's waist, so he had to crouch down to walk inside. What he saw was very underwhelming. A staircase no wider than his outstretched arms spiraled downwards into black emptiness. Nico suddenly felt trapped between Will and the darkness below.

He whipped around, prepared to be shoved or something, but Will smiled at him and began walking down. He took a few more steps before turning to Nico with an expectant glance.

The prince bit the inside of his cheek and reluctantly followed him, every step vigilant and alert. Will began speaking, "I found this place a couple years ago. No one knows about it; it's so old that everyone who did has died by now. So no one comes here. Well, except for me of course. I usually just come down here for some peace and quiet, or when I'm playing hide and seek with Kayla."

Will chuckled at that last part, as if reminiscing on something. But Nico could only focus on where his voice came from since it was getting too dark to see anything. It was almost as if Will could sense his nervous energy, because he turned around and wrapped his hand around Nico's wrist. 

Nico had to fight the urge to murder him until he said, "I'll guide you down here. It's pretty tricky unless you know how many steps there are."

Eventually, when Nico thought they might be going to hell with how far down this was, Will abruptly stopped. Nico stumbled into him, but was utterly dumbfounded when Will didn't budge. "This is it." The prince said as he grabbed for a handle Nico couldn't see and pushed the door open.

_Now_ Nico was surprised.

Will led him into a dimly let room- no. Room didn't seem appropriate for the cavernous area he and Will were in. The ceiling was as high as one a ballroom would have, and a massive glass dome allowed sunlight to pour through. But vines, tree roots, leaves, and dirt on the top kept the rays from seeping into every corner of the room. In fact, vines were everywhere on the walls, the floor, and tree roots were in abundance. Nico looked around, trying to fathom the ruins they were in. He barely noticed Will still existed until he said, "These are the old sparring rings they used in the dark ages. They were underground to keep monsters from discovering them as easily in the daylight. But when magic was banished, facilities like this were no longer needed. So almost all of them have been abandoned. Like this one."

Will gestured to the entire area, and Nico noticed the chair in the corner with books piled around it. Will followed his gaze and sheepishly chuckled. "Yeah, that's my little nook."

Nico nodded and his eyes wandered to sparring ring Will had been talking about. It was a standard size, but there were cracks and roots sprouting from the platform, and the ropes that acted as a railing were either snapped or so weak that one touch might make them crumble to dust. Dust was practically everywhere and coating every surface, and Nico found the training dummies piled in the far right corner and the empty sword racks lining the walls. Will became rather nervous at Nico's silence.

Thinking the prince had been disappointed by this, Will said, "I'm sorry if this place isn't what you expected... it's just kind of important to me, and it's dark and closed off so I thought you might be more comfortable training here-"

"You said your siblings don't know about this place." Nico interjected, making Will's words catch in his throat. "So why tell me?" He turned to the blond then, and noticed how the dimness of the room couldn't even pale the light in his blue eyes.

And Will smiled again. "Well, I just thought maybe if I gave you some of my trust, you could start to give me some of yours."

Nico looked down at the floor, then back at the room before him. Will felt sweat bead on his neck, thinking that taking Nico here had been worse than hiding this place from him. But then Nico reached up and grabbed the edge of his hood. It was off his head in seconds, and Will's breath caught in his throat.

Nico's eyes were closed, most likely afraid he might go blind, but his expression wasn't angry or expressionless. It seemed content. Like he was taking a deep breath after suffocating. The light in the room bounced off of his face, giving his cheeks and hair a faint glow. Will's mind strayed to the fact that Nico's last name meant 'angel'.

Then, Nico opened his dark coal eyes and fixed them on Will. "I'll keep this place a secret."

Will felt as though a hundred pounds had been lifted from his shoulders. He was about to thank Nico had he not jabbed a finger at his chest and spat, "But I'm still watching you Solace. There are no 'three strikes' with me. One wrong move, and your heads on a pike. Got it?" Will swallowed his words and shakily nodded.

_Well, it's a start._ He thought as Nico readjusted his hood and left for the staircase. Will was at his side in a second, and walked ahead of him to guide them through once more. Once they found the door at the top again, they quietly crawled back into the kitchen and shut the door behind them. Will didn't realize he had been holding his breath until the door clicked behind him and he slid the counter back in place. 

 "What now?" Nico asked, knowing that by now it was almost midday. Will looked around in thought, completely at a loss for ideas. 

"Well..." He trailed, and Nico raised a brow. "I don't know. What do you wanna do?"

_He wants me to decide?_ Nico thought in surprise. He found himself speaking before he could properly form a coherent sentence, "I- uh... do- um. I don't-"

Will chuckled. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot. I just meant is there anywhere you might wanna check out? Someplace you might wanna see? There's-"

"Do you guys actually have houses on the clouds?" Nico blurted, not fully comprehending his inquiry. Will stared at him for a moment, not sure how to respond.

Nico realized his question and how stupid it was, thus making his face turn a slight red tint as he added, "I-I mean, you know-"

Then Will laughed. But it wasn't his usual laugh. It wasn't quiet and restrained. This was his true laugh. And for some reason, it reminded Nico of a symphony. Will's head flew back in pure bliss at the question until he noticed how utterly still and embarrassed Nico had become. He quickly stopped by launching into a coughing fit.

"I uh..." He started, and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry it's just-" He cut himself off with a snort. "Houses? On clouds?"

Nico suddenly felt very defensive. "It's not my fault I've never been here before! My people have stories of houses in the clouds and rivers made of sun rays and-" Will couldn't contain his snickers, making Nico's cheeks turn redder. "Hey! Shut the hell up! Fine, it was a stupid question get over it."

Will stopped with soft chuckles and shook his head, his golden locks swishing as he did so. "No. We don't have houses on the clouds. Or rivers made of sun rays. Any other supernatural questions?"

Nico bit his lip, but did in fact ask, "I-Is... is it true that you have a bridge made of rainbows?"

Will looked down and snickered. "Not exactly. You're probably talking about the Bridge of Ylber. It-"

"Ill-bear?" Nico asked in confusion, and Will laughed again. 

" _Ylber_. Anyway, we built it to commemorate all the people that died in the Great War. It's a memorial of sorts, and at a certain time of day, the glass reflects all the colors of the rainbow. So... yeah. I guess we do have a rainbow bridge." Will explained, and felt proud when Nico nodded in understanding. "If I may," He started, and the prince of Lunares looked back up at him. "Can I ask a couple questions myself?"

Nico felt as though his confidence had already crumbled to dust, so he might as well. "Sure." He replied with a shrug.

Will swallowed and nervously asked, "Do you actually have demons?"

It was Nico's turn to laugh. Will liked the sound. "Is that what you people really think about Lunares?"

Will shrugged, making the prince sigh as he leaned against a counter. "No. We don't have demons. Or monsters. Or any other evil supernatural being residing in our lands. We're as magic free as Diell."

Will nodded, but continued his string of questions with, "Can your father manipulate people with mind control?"

Nico almost collapsed he was laughing so hard. Will felt heat creep up his neck as Nico let out howl after howl of laughter. When he finally calmed down, he said, "If my dad had any sort of telepathic power, I would have manners by now. Of course he doesn't have mind control powers. I just told you, we're magic free." Will nodded, thankful he wasn't blushing. But then he asked, "You're not vampires, right?"

Nico only snickered this time. "No. We're not vampires." Will opened his mouth, but Nico cut him off with, "We're not werewolves either."

"That's what a werewolf would say." Will joked, and Nico snorted, his shoulders bouncing up and down.

"Sorry to disappoint." He replied, and Will smiled. But then it faded as he asked, "What's the sky like? You know, at night?"

Nico scoffed. "You have night every- well, night. And you never looked at it? Not once?"

Will shrugged. "Have you ever looked at the sun on purpose?"

_Touche_. Nico thought before outright ignoring Will's comment and saying, "Well... it's dark, obviously, but you have the moon and the stars to light everything up. And the moon is a different size every night. It can be a crescent shape no thicker than a parchment, or a massive globe the size of a continent. And the stars..." Nico trailed. He had always loved the stars, but he never knew why. "They're always different. It's never the same sky twice. It's like sprinkling diamonds over a black canvas. You never know where they're gonna be but it's beautiful all the same. And the sky doesn't necessarily stay the same either. Sometimes it's dark blue, sometimes it's dark purple, sometimes it's both, or all three at once. But the night sky has this... tranquility to it. A peaceful calm. Maybe that's why it's so easy to sleep in Lunares." He joked, trying to ease some of the tension off his shoulders as he realized he was quite homesick.

The reality of his situation hadn't yet set in until just then. He was in a foreign land with people he hardly knew; and his sister wasn't going to be his sister for much longer. No, soon, she would be the princess of Diell. And where did that leave Nico? The freak mistake of the Lunares royal family? He wasn't likely to inherit the crown. King Hades didn't normally trust his instincts or his temper. Not while Hazel was still present. Nico wished only the best for his sister and loved her with his whole heart, but he realized she had been his crutch. 

One of the only things that kept him going after... the incident. But he would have to day goodbye to her... because of...

"Nico?" Will repeated, afraid the shorter prince was broken in the head. Luckily, Nico snapped out of his thoughts and met the prince's concerned gaze. "Oh! There you are! I was afraid I lost you-"

"Yeah, well you didn't." Nico snapped and stuck his hands in his pockets. Then, he walked away. Will tilted his head in confusion and rushed to catch up, only to find Nico blocking him from leaving the kitchen with him.

"Nico-" He started, but said boy only grit his teeth. 

"I'm done for today. Do whatever you want, I couldn't care less. Just leave me alone." The black haired prince growled. 

But the hurt on Will's face almost made him apologize. _Apologize_. Nico had no idea what was wrong with him. Perhaps he let himself get too carried away at the prospect of having a friend for the first time. Perhaps he let down his walls the slightest because Will seemed so... trusting. But he had made that mistake before, and he wasn't going to make it again.

"Did I do something wrong-" Will started, but Nico cut him off with, "Figure it out for yourself. And don't bother me again."

Then, he walked away, leaving a melancholy Will Solace in his wake.

_Well, there goes that._ The prince thought to himself, completely at a loss for words. Nico was quite the enigma. One second, they were talking like civilized people, and the next, Nico was slamming a door in his face. 

Will didn't know where to begin with him. But for some reason, that made the prince all the more motivated to try and get Nico to trust him. In fact, he liked him because he was like a splash of color to his normally dull life. Up until that point, it had always been work, work, and work. No time to mess around, and certainly no time to make friends. And there had hardly ever been a break in his schedule. Yet he had just accepted it as a part of his life, saying it's what everyone does. But now that he met Nico, he realized that life doesn't just consist of paperwork and important meetings. Sometimes, you need something to spice it up. And so, becoming Nico's friend had accidentally turned into a top priority.

One he was eager to carry out. But for now, all he could do was try and figure out the 'how' part.


	6. Awkward Talks Suck

Nico ended up sleeping through the rest of the day. He only awoke when a tap on his head disrupted him from sleep. Hazel stood there, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

"Oh... hey Haze." Nico grumbled, noting how she was wearing a different dress. 

"Hey Nico." She said with feigned cheeriness. "Do you know what time it is?" Her smile sent shivers down his spine.

"Uh... is it time for dinner?" He asked, thinking he had only slept for a few hours. Hazel sighed and pinched his ear. He yelped as she tugged until his ear turned red. 

"It's time for _breakfast_ dumbie." He gasped and shot up from under his covers, immediately missing the comfort of the bed. Hazel sighed at her brother's antics and left, preparing an excuse for Nico's tardiness.

Meanwhile, the prince of Lunares was hastily throwing his clothes on and tying his laces. He silently wondered how his servants always adorned his tunics with ease, and envied them for it as he tugged it around his body. Finally, he looked somewhat presentable and bolted for the door. He nearly forgot his sword, and made sure to sheath it as he shuffled down the hallway. As he walked, he threw his hood over his head and silently reminisced over yesterday's events. He remembered Will's face of shock and hurt as he stormed out of the kitchen. He also remembered what he promised him, and although it annoyed him, he couldn't break it. Suddenly, after being distracted by his thoughts for long enough, he all but slapped himself across the face and focused back into reality. Just in time to halt his step to keep from colliding with a large pair of birch doors. He shook his head and wrapped his pale fingers around the handle before twisting it.

The conversations inside came to a standstill as he stepped inside and walked towards his seat beside Will.

The prince of Diell watched Nico with hesitance, afraid the prince would look up and meet his gaze. But it seemed like the last thing Nico wanted to do was acknowledge Will's presence, so sat down with not so much as a word instead.

"Good morning your highness." Queen Naomi said, breaking the silence. Nico looked up and met her gaze from under his hood. He nodded, and added, "Good morning your majesty."

The king and queen seemed to deem that response appropriate, and continued their conversation with Austin about his music lessons. Will became utterly lost when Austin went on and on about an abundance of flats and accidentals in his sheet music, all gibberish to the blond prince, so he decided to look at Nico.

His plate remained empty, and he made no move to put any food on it. Even with the cornucopia of breakfast in front of him, he seemed about as interested in the food as a cat with a dog treat.

Will took notice of that, and tried to make sure he would ask Nico about his food consumption later. Then, his worst fears were realized when Nico looked up at him, meeting his stare.

The prince's cheeks heated up, suddenly embarrassed about being caught, before he abruptly turned to stare at the hash brown on his plate. He didn't see Nico shake his head or roll his eyes.

Hazel, on the other hand, watched the entire exchange and began wondering if Nico had done something while the two spent the day together yesterday. _He wouldn't break his promise this soon, would he?_ She thought to herself as she took a bite of her roll.

"So I was thinking maybe Hazel and Will should spend the day together." Queen Naomi announced, seemingly out of nowhere. Hazel was about to gasp, but she had forgotten about the food in her mouth, and immediately went into a coughing fit instead. Meanwhile, Will jumped so bad he slammed his knees into the underside of the table.

All eyes turned to her as she pounded on her chest, trying to relieve her throat of the food now lodged in it. After a moment of hacking and utter embarrassment, she managed to inhale a deep breath and let out a small, "I-I'm okay."

The queen tilted her head in confusion at the reactions she received, but decided to explain her reasoning. "I just thought that maybe you two would like to get to know each other as soon as possible, you know before-"

Will, spoke up quickly, not wanting his mother to finish the sentence. "I- uh... what about... my uh- my medical science! I'm pretty sure I have classes today-"

Queen Naomi merely waved him off, "Oh nonsense Will! You know very well you only have classed every two days! It's tomorrow, so no need to worry." She finished with a smile.

Will sank into his chair, at a loss for excuses. "Alright..." He grumbled, and the queen nodded. 

Suddenly, someone spoke up. "If I may," it was princess Kayla. "I would like to spend the day with prince Nico. If he would allow it."

The request came as a shock to Nico, even more so to Hazel, but the prince merely weighed his options.

_I could say no and get out of a days worth of boredom and annoyance, but I could also insult the king and queen and fall out of their favor... but if I say yes... I'll have to spend the day with someone I don't know and probably won't like._ He quickly realized Hazel's future with her soon-to-be in laws was more important than his plans, which he had none, so he gave a curt and simple, "Sure."

Although such a "disrespectful" response would mortify his parents and earn him a disapproving look from Hazel, princess Kayla seemed to like that answer. 

"Well," Prince Austin started before standing. "If I don't leave now, I'll be late for language class, and we all know how Mr. Tamlin gets." The other two siblings seemed to shudder.

And with that, the prince left the room with a wave and smile. The door shut just as the king exclaimed, "Oh I almost forgot. Forgive me children, but I must go. I have urgent business to attend to. My queen," He said, and Naomi smiled before standing with him. The two left quickly, and Nico raised a brow at them. _For a couple that doesn't love each other, they're mighty good at faking it._

"Alright!" Kayla exclaimed, making Nico turn towards her. The princess stood and wiped dust and/or food from her skirt before rushing to Nico's seat. "Let's go your highness! I'm going to show you something you won't regret!"

She urgently wrapped a gloved hand around Nico's forearm before tugging him to the doors. Nico quickly stood and allowed Kayla to practically drag him out of the dining room.

Hazel giggled as her brother left, knowing he was quite possibly going to have one of the worst days of his life. But then Will cleared his throat, and Hazel suddenly felt very nervous.

"I uh..." He trailed, and stood before walking over to her chair. "W-Would you like to uh... maybe go the gardens? Possibly?"

Even though Will was about as confident as he had been after Clarisse had beaten him in an arm wrestling match in front of all of his friends, Hazel seemed incredibly scared of him. She shakily took his outstretched hand and let out a soft, "Y-Yes..."

Will frowned at her hesitance, and quietly let her hook arms with him. The two walked in awkward silence, neither to interested in breaking it, and instead tried to look anywhere except at each other. 

Meanwhile, Kayla and Nico watched them from an alcove in the wall.

"So let me get this straight," Nico started in a whisper as he and Kayla watched the two walk away. "You're plan today is to spy on them?"

Kayla nodded, her short hair bobbing up and down as she did so. "That's right. Will's usually really charming and nonchalant with women, so it's really fascinating to see him so nervous about a girl. I wanna see how he acts and quite possible get him to do something stupid so I can blackmail him with it for ages!"

Although her tone was laced with nothing but humor, her words made Nico's heart go to a grinding halt. "So... he's like... a womanizer?"

Kayla laughed. "Him? Not a chance. In fact, I don't think he's ever even dated anyone." She suddenly darted down the hall, determined not to lose sight of the couple. Her answer calmed Nico's heartbeat to a certain degree, but he still didn't fell comfortable about this.

Nico rushed after her and asked, "Then why bring me?!" He exclaimed. Even though he had every intention of following and spying on Will the minute he was free to do so, it still bewildered him as to why Kayla had practically invited him to do it.

The princess shrugged, not even looking at him as she said, "I just assumed you'd want to watch them to make sure he didn't do anything. After all, it's pretty clear you were planning on doing that anyway."

Nico's cheeks reddened at her words, but she didn't notice as she quickly ran down the hall, hiding behind a podium with a golden vase seated atop it.

Just then, Nico watched a set of doors open to the outside, and two figures walk out.

Kayla turned around and motioned for Nico to follow her. The prince sagged his shoulders and once again found himself running to catch up with her. 

Hazel squinted her eyes as they struggled to adjust to the light. The prince found her continuously rubbing her eyes, so he hurried to get under a canopy of flowers that arched over a large pathway. The sudden change in lighting made Hazel look up and gasp in wonder. She completely forgot the prince was beside her as she took in the flood of color suddenly attacking her iris'. A wave of light blues, soft purples, pinks, near blinding yellows, and other awe-inspiring flowers bloomed around her, each a prime example of the word 'beautiful'.

They were grown in such a way that they arched over her head and created a tunnel of sorts, seemingly to protect her from the sun. "Wow..." she trailed, daring to lower her hood. Will took in her caramel eyes and matching light brown hair. It curled in all directions, and he couldn't help but find the girl cute. Hazel suddenly became very aware of the prince's gaze, and she immediately threw the hood back over her head and let out a meek, "I-I'm sorry..." 

Will shook his head rapidly and exclaimed, "No, no! It's fine, really, nothing to be sorry for!" Hazel merely nodded, and the prince sighed as they continued walking down the pathway, almost reaching a fountain at the end of it. Meanwhile, Nico and Kayla were watching from a large patch of lagerstroemia trees. While Kayla was watching with no difficulty, Nico was staring at the ground, trying to keep from going blind in the intense lighting of Diell. He yelped as Kayla grabbed his wrist and tugged him towards the pathway her brother had taken. 

Nico almost gasped in relief as they entered a shaded area, but he didn't dare look up, too afraid to accidentally look up into the sun and actually lose his ability to see. Kayla merely tiptoed along the side of the path, careful to make sure the flowers at least somewhat masked her presence. Finally when she watched Will sit down on a bench and Hazel follow suit, Kayla ran behind a square shaped bush and ducked down, dragging Nico down with her. 

He almost voiced his protest had the princess not held a finger to her mouth and pointed to where Hazel and Will were seated. Nico promptly shut his mouth and strained his ears to listen.

Hazel discretely scooted a little ways away from Will, trying her best to keep some distance between them. But unfortunately, the prince noticed and sighed. He then placed his elbows on his knees and allowed his head to hang low.

Hazel swallowed and said, "I-I'm sorry if-"

"No, no. It's not your fault. None of this is." He said, running a hand through his blond locks. He then let out a sigh and leaned back against the bench. 

Hazel swallowed, nervous beyond comprehension at the moment. Will could practically feel her nerves from where he was sitting, and when he looked at her, he noticed how she stiffened and clenched her skirt harder.

Hazel suddenly dreaded her situation. She was alone with a boy, who most definitely was physically stronger than her, had more fighting experience, and who, if she said no to  about anything, could make the rest of her life a living hell.

Will looked at her and sighed. "Are you scared?"

She immediately began waving her hands wildly and exclaimed, "O-Of course not! I mean, why would I be! I-"

But Will cut in with, "You don't have to lie." She paused and gulped, wondering if he meant it, or of he was just luring her into a false sense of security.

So she opted not to say anything instead, and Will sat up straight before readjusting his collar. "Look I don't know exactly how to say this but..." He paused and swallowed, suddenly almost as nervous as Hazel. "I just... this whole marriage thing was like a slap in the face to me. I'm just a kid, I don't want to be in an arranged marriage! No offense-"

"None taken." Hazel immediately replied. But she meant it this time, it wasn't just out of fear. Will took that as a sign to keep going, "Anyways, I just thought you should know that I'm not ready for anything like dating or kissing or... you know." Hazel's cheeks warmed, but it almost looked as though Will's cheeks flushed even brighter. "So when I vented to my mom about this," he shamelessly admitted, and suddenly Hazel smiled at that. "She told me I should just tell you my intentions up front. So here they are;" Hazel swallowed. "I don't have any. I don't really wanna fall in love with someone right now, and if you and I could at least become friends for the time being, I'd really appreciate that."

Hazel was silent, and didn't move a muscle for at least ten seconds. Will suddenly realized he must've insulted her or scared her even further, so he began to let out half thought out sentences of apology when she started giggling.

When she stopped, her shoulders were visibly less tense, and she laid back against just as Will had done moments before. "And to think, all this time I getting nervous for nothing."

Will exhaled in relief at her words, and she said, "I feel the exact same way. I'm not ready for anything romantic, and being your friend might be rather nice. After all, Kayla seems to think you're alright."

Will laughed at that. "That's all she said? I'm surprised she didn't bring up the time I skated down the hallway and got my head stuck in a priceless vase." Hazel began laughing rather loudly, and said, "Well, now you have to tell me that story!"

Will chuckled and began doing just as she asked. Nico tuned out his words and just looked at the smile on his sister's face as she lowered her hood. He couldn't hide the small grin that bloomed across his features at Hazel's bemused expressions, and Kayla noted the content aura surrounding Nico at the sight of his sister's happiness. But even as Nico watched Hazel warm up to Will, a looming thought still kept him from liking Will at all.

When the two were wed, Hazel would leave Nico. And who would he have left? He wasn't like Will; he couldn't make friends without even trying. In fact, he couldn't make friends if he tried his hardest. None of the servants viewed him as more than the prince of Lunares, and his parents never seemed to have the time for him. He had no friends in Lunares, and he highly doubted he would make any in Diell. 

So if Hazel left him, he would really lose everything. And just the thought of that made him despise Will with every ounce of his being. Kayla suddenly noticed his furious energy, and tugged on his arm. He snapped out of his daze and turned to her as she gestured behind them. He took the hint, and the both of them began leaving as Hazel's laugh echoed around the canopy of flowers and the garden itself.


	7. Expressing Emotion Sucks

Dinner came much quicker than anyone anticipated, and Will and Hazel found their conversation stopped short as the sky grew darker. They had unknowingly lost themselves in conversation throughout the day, and came back to the garden after lunch and talked up until now. And although Hazel didn't mind the growing darkness, Will seemed to get more and more on edge as the sun crept farther behind the horizon. Hazel giggled at this, and said, "You know, the night sky is beautiful. It's a shame you and your people find it so scary."

Will looked at her and nervously chuckled. "Y-Yeah. Nico told me about it."

Hazel smiled and looked up at the sky, which was now a magnificent spectrum of colors thanks to the sunset. "I'm not surprised. Nico always loved the stars. They reminded him of... never mind. Anyway, you should see him in Lunares. Every time he looks up at them he looks as though he's seeing them for the first time."

Will scoffed at the thought of Nico di Angelo staring up at the stars with childlike wonder. "That doesn't sound like him." Hazel nodded.

"I know." But then, she asked, "Did Nico say anything to you when you guys hung out yesterday?"

Will cocked his head to the side. "Like what?" 

"Like... mean." Will almost cackled. _Threatening_ was a better word for it. But he just shrugged. 

"I don't know what counts as mean." Hazel sighed at that response and looked up only to find the first star in the sky. She stared at it as she said, "Look. Nico can be a bit... closed off. But he's been through a lot, and it would mean a lot to me if you gave him a chance. Once you get to know him, he's not so bad."

Will stared at her for a moment, and followed her gaze. He found the star she was staring at; all alone in the night sky, waiting for the sun to go down so the other stars could join him in the sky. For some reason, Will found himself nodding his head.

"Yeah. I will." Hazel smiled and stood. "We should get going. Dinner will start soon, and I don't want you peeing yourself when the moon comes out." She joked, and he laughed.

She found it in her to giggle, and the two walked arm in arm through the same tunnel of flowers as before. 

Nico looked up from his plate as the dining room doors opened, revealing Hazel and Will. The two were walking with their arms hooked, and giggles sounded from their mouths as though one of them had told a joke just seconds prior 

"Ah! Will! Hazel! Nice to see you today." King Apollo exclaimed from the head of the table. Will and Hazel looked up at him, and Hazel bowed while Will smiled. Although he didn't say anything, the king was rather relieved at the fact that the two seemed to be getting along.

Nico acted as though he didn't know they'd even arrived, and merely stared at Kayla's empty seat. She had told her servants she wasn't feeling well, but told Nico she was practicing archery instead. He knew which was more likely.

Austin walked in moments later, looking noticeably tired. But when he caught sight of the massive feast before him, his expression lightened up. Eating commenced quickly, and conversations followed soon after. Nico, obviously, did not take part in any. And no one asked him to.

In fact, he soon realized no one would notice if he left, so he did just that as Hazel was too distracted by her steak, and Will was facing his mother. He slipped through the doors with no sound, but unfortunately, someone watched him leave with a frown.

At first, he decided not to do anything, but then he remembered what Hazel had asked of him. _Give him a chance._

So, he quickly excused himself, and left.

Nico crossed his arms as he walked down the hall, but froze when the pitter patter of footsteps made his ears twitch. He turned around, rather shocked to see Will Solace rushing towards him.

At a complete loss for words, Nico watched Will in silence until he stopped at least ten feet away from him. 

Will looked at him for a minute, suddenly realizing he had impulsively left without thinking about what he would do when he actually caught up with Nico. But the prince merely raised an eyebrow and pointed back in the direction Will had come. "The dining room is that way."

Will chuckled nervously and held the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah. I know. I just wanted-"

"I don't care." Nico replied, and resumed his walk. Will sighed and caught up with him, matching his pace. 

"So... what'd you do today?" Nico halted and glared up at Will, suddenly hating how short he was.

"Have I not made it clear that I _do not_ want to talk to you? Or are you just that thick headed?" Will's nervousness slowly made way to annoyance.

"W-Well I just wanted to say that uh..." He trailed, not knowing what to ask. Nico rolled his eyes. "You're wasting my time."

For some reason, Will reached his tipping point. "Well fine! Sorry I'm actually trying to make an effort to be nice to you!"

Nico scoffed. "I never asked you to, Solace!"

"But you don't need to! Normal people respond to kindness with kindness, not a cold shoulder!"

Nico laughed. "I don't need to return any sort of kindness if I don't want to! Now leave me alone!"

"Why are you being so closed off all the time?! I don't recall doing something wrong!"

"Maybe I like it that way Solace!"

"Well that doesn't give you an excuse to be so rude to everyone!"

"Well maybe if you shut up and stuck your nose elsewhere I wouldn't have to be so pissy with you!"

"What's your problem, man?! What'd I even do?!" Nico snapped and whirled on the prince so fast he flinched.

"What'd you do?! _What'd you DO_?! I'll tell you what you did! You got engaged to my sister without her consent! Now she's forced to marry some airheaded guy who smiles way too much, and she has to live in a kingdom she's never been in!" Will clenched his fists and yelled, "What are you even talking about-"

"What the hell do you think I'm talking about?! When you two get married, she'll be forced to live in Diell, won't she?! Then, the curse will be lifted, and she'll never see the night sky! She'll be all alone in Diell and I... and I..." He trailed, hating himself for ranting to Will about this.

Will was going to speak had Nico not continued, "You don't know what it's like. Hazel's been my sister for sixteen years, and it's only gonna take three months for her to leave me. When this marriage takes place, I'm gonna lose her. And I don't want to lose someone else..." He mumbled the last part, but Will heard it, yet thought he heard wrong.

_He's lost someone?_ He thought to himself as Nico turned around and began walking around again, his walls repairing themselves with every step he took. "Whatever. Forget I said anything. Just leave me alone."

But Will had something to say too, and caught Nico by the forearm. The action made Nico pause and turn around, surprised by the concern and resolve on Will's face. "Look Nico... I should've realized just how crappy this must be for you, but I was so caught up in my own issues I didn't see yours. And I'm sorry about that."

Nico was shocked beyond reason. Someone was apologizing to him. Because they genuinely felt bad for hurting his feelings. "If I were losing Kayla to someone... I can't even imagine what that must be like. I can't even imagine what I'd do. And... man I feel like a piece of crap." He chuckled nervously, and Nico almost felt compelled to tell him he wasn't. But Will continued anyway, "And I... trust me if I could stop this wedding I would. And I've told you and Hazel everything about my intentions, and it's all been the truth. And I understand why you don't want Hazel to live in Diell so... if I can, I'll try to convince my dad to let us live separately. I'll even beg my mom and cry like a baby."

Nico almost smiled at that. "But, even if I can't do anything, please understand that I'll treat Hazel with the utmost respect and I would never _ever_ do anything without her full consent. Even if we're married, she'll always have a choice in every situation. Hell, she can decide to go live in Amamihe if she wants to! Look, the point is, as long as Hazel lives in Diell, she will never ever have a reason to feel upset or scared. Especially around me and my family. I promise." Will meant every word he spoke, and hoped Nico could see it too.

But when the prince didn't say anything for a moment, Will thought he had just made Nico even angrier. But Nico only audibly groaned and said, "You make it _so damn hard_ to hate you Solace."

Will almost couldn't believe his ears, and let out a quick laugh in disbelief. "Uh... sorry?" Nico shook his head.

"Even now you're apologizing." Nico muttered and Will swallowed. "I guess I've been a little unfair to you too. All this time I've been trying to look for all of your flaws and find some way to hate you, but I just can't. It's insane." Will chuckled.

But Nico met his gaze, and from the lighting, Will could see the light reflecting off of his eye, even though he couldn't see much more than that. "Even so, I hope you understand that I can't fully trust you to be alone with Hazel."

Will nodded. "Yeah. I get it." It was Nico's turn to gulp as he stared into the wide blue of Will's eyes and said, "But I'm... I'm willing to get to know you better. So that maybe one day I might think you're good enough for someone like Hazel." Will nodded.

"Thanks." But Nico still held his gaze. Almost like he was studying him.

Nico sighed and finally looked away. His eyes found the floor as he spoke, "I'd also like it if... maybe... we could..." Will smiled.

"Start over?" He offered, and Nico nodded, not quite meeting his gaze.

 "Yeah..." He mumbled, feeling as though with every word he was further embarrassing himself. But Will merely smiled and placed a hand on Nico's shoulder.

 Nico looked up in surprise only to find Will's grin as bright as ever. "I'd like that."

Nico swallowed and nodded, completely and utterly dumbfounded with how this conversation went. Suddenly, musical notes echoed down the hallway, startling both boys from their conversation.

"Crap! I almost forgot! I promised to listen to Austin's solo tonight! I gotta go Nico." Will exclaimed, further confusing the poor prince.

But Nico quickly processed the situation and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, go do that!" 

"Okay! Great! Thanks!" Will said before patting Nico's upper arm and rushing down the hall in the opposite direction. The prince's shoulder suddenly felt cold thanks to the absence of Will's, surprisingly warm, hand.

Nico placed his palm were the tingling feeling was, and was surprised with the difference in touches. Where Will's was comforting, Nico's was cold and unforgiving.

With a scowl directed towards himself, he walked to his room, thoroughly perplexed and tired from today's events.

When he arrived, he heard humming in the room across from him, and knocked on the door. A moment later, the lock clicked, and Hazel's head popped out. "Nico!" She exclaimed and wrapped her arms around him.

"Woah! Why are you so happy?" He asked, slowly giving her a hug of his own. She pulled away, holding his hands in her palms and smiling so bright the hallway suddenly wasn't so dark.

"I spoke to Will nearly all day! And he's not a monster!" Nico feigned curiosity, not wanting to expose the fact that he had been spying on her earlier. She gestured for him to come inside and promptly leapt onto her bed. "Yeah! He was really nice to me and he told me that he wanted to be my friend! Thank the gods, I thought he was gonna ask something like, 'When can we share a room?' or 'Do you want to go on a date?' Honestly, my heart had never beat so loud! But he was really funny too! And it's weird, his hands are super warm." _Tell me about it_. He thought. "He's also super smart! He told me all about medical sciences and he even told me some stories about Diell itself! I'm a little jealous though, he and his siblings are going to explore Diell tomorrow. I wish I could go, but it's rude to tag along uninvited, don't you think?" Nico shrugged, and Hazel laughed.

"Your vast vocabulary never ceases to amaze me Nico." Hazel said, and let out a snort when Nico threw a pillow at her.

"Oh! And Kayla! I mean, I know you met her today, but she's such an amazing archer! I swear, she shot an apple off of my head!"

"Wait what-"

"Anyway, she's also really funny! And she's been talking about dying her hair green. I told her to just go for it, but it's her choice. And she told me about Austin and how he can play the saxophone! And the violin! And the clarinet! And the piano! He's like a music prodigy!" Nico nodded along, telling himself to ask about the apple thing later.

Then, a bell sounded throughout the castle, signifying that the sun had gone completely down and night had taken day's place.

"You should probably get to bed." Hazel said, smiling at Nico as the bells chimed nine times.

"Yeah. You're right." He began to walk away when he stopped himself. "Do you... like it here?" He asked, and though he didn't see, Hazel nodded as she said, "I really do. It's always so warm and everyone is so kind... it truly is magical."

Nico looked down and nodded, leaving with that.

"Wait! I almost forgot!" Hazel exclaimed from behind him as he crossed the threshold. He turned around just as she handed him a pair of binoculars. 

"What's this for?" He asked, gingerly taking them from her hand.

Hazel only smiled. "I got them from Kayla the other day. She said I should use them to go bird watching with her, but I think I should give them to you. After all, you two _do_ seem to like spying on me through bushes." She chirped before shutting the door.

Nico stared at the wood, his mouth hanging open. But then, his shock turned into pleasant surprise.

He looked down at the object in his hand, and chuckled, his shoulders bouncing up and down. Then, he walked to his room, and quickly found himself dozing off.


	8. People Suck

Nico awoke at the crack of dawn, which was very unlike him. But he assumed that his dream had something to do with it. After many failed attempts to go back to sleep, he reluctantly sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked at the mirror that sat propped against the wall across from his bed, and immediately despised what he saw in it.

So he turned away and left his bed. He took his time in bathing and drying himself off, and then dressed himself in a clean tunic and pants. Soon enough, he found himself staring at his sword; more so at the carvings on the handle. 

 _You see, Nico? The figures on the bottom are us holding hands! And then there's your horse, and there's momma's hand, and the stars in the sky, and daddy's crown, and the..._ Her voice slowly faded from his mind, and he found himself sheathing the blade without a word. 

He almost opened the door when it swung open and Hazel came into view. "Oh! You're up! That's... normal? Not really. Come on Nico!" She exclaimed and hooked arms with him.

He nodded and the two began walking towards the dining room, Hazel happily rambling on about a dream she had and Nico listening in silence. She began talking about when she fell through the sky, and would've continued talking about her fantasies had the dining room door not come into view. 

"So why'd you wake up so early?" She asked, and Nico shrugged. "I guess I just did. You look nice." He said, wanting to change the subject. She smiled and looked down at her gown. It wasn't as superfluous as the first dress she had worn, but it still adorned her with the most expensive fabrics Lunares had to offer. A skirt fell to her mid calf and fanned out around her body. Black fabric enveloped almost every inch of her clothing, and the only difference in color was courtesy of the occasional jewel in her dress. She gave Nico a twirl, showing off both the way her skirt moved and the side bun she had put her hair in. "Why thank you good sir!" She joked, and Nico smiled.

A pair of servants opened the door for them, and they walked inside. King Apollo and Queen Naomi were seated, per usual, but Kayla and Austin were no where to be found. Will sat in his usual spot on the right side of King Apollo, and Queen Naomi gaped at Hazel as she walked inside.

"Oh my dear! You've decided to come without your hood! You're absolutely stunning!" Hazel giggled and curtsied, signaling Nico to bow. "Thank you your majesty! I just felt Diell was so beautiful, I didn't want a hood to block my view of it."

The king and queen laughed as Hazel showered them in compliments. "Thank you very much, your highness. That means much to us coming from someone like you." King Apollo said, and Hazel gave them a smile. The king and queen didn't notice Nico until he sat down. 

Queen Naomi smiled at him and said, "Prince Nico! Did you sleep well?" Nico nodded. "Yes, your majesty. I slept very well." He lied.

But she didn't detect any fib, and nodded in response. Nico looked over at Will, who smiled at him. Nico didn't really know what to do in response, so he just waved. Will chuckled and then smiled a Hazel, who returned it, her teeth showing. "So where's Kayla and Austin?" She asked him, and Will replied, "Oh, they're getting ready for today. Diell is actually super hot, so you need to pack lightly and bring a ton of water." 

Hazel nodded in understanding, and began eating her breakfast in silence. The king and queen began making polite conversation with everyone except Nico. Truth be told, it wasn't because they didn't like the prince. They just didn't want to throw him into a conversation he didn't want to be apart of. And he seemed content with listening to everyone as they spoke.

Suddenly, the doors to the dining room swung open, and Kayla and Austin walked in together. The gave waves to their family and bows to Nico and Hazel before gesturing to Will. The prince's face immediately broke into a smile, and he stood before following them. Then, to Hazel's shock, Kayla gestured for her to follow too.

"A-Am I invited?" She stammered, pointing to herself as if to clarify. Kayla blew a raspberry and exclaimed, "Of course! Austin told you, didn't he?"

Austin's expression turned confused as he said, "But I thought you were the one that was going to invite her."

The two siblings shared a silent staring contest, as if having a conversation through their gaze. Then, seemingly coming to an agreement, they looked away and turned their attention back to Hazel. "We're really sorry Hazel. You are invited if you'd still like to come."

"Yes!" Hazel exclaimed, and immediately amended, "I uh... I mean yes please, if you'll have me."

Kayla chuckled and gestured for Hazel to follow. Hazel turned to Nico and held out a hand. "Come on."

Nico promptly refused, saying, "No, I don't think I was invited-"

"Of course you were!" Kayla exclaimed. Nico swallowed and nervously turned to Will, who fixed him with a lazy smile, as if saying, 'what's the worst that can happen?'

So Nico sighed, not wanting to argue with his sister in front of the royal family, and reluctantly took her hand. "I would be delighted to go." He said, trying his best to sound genuine even though he'd rather jump off a bridge.

The siblings and Hazel fixed him with cheeky grins before he felt his sister tug him towards the door. "You kids have fun, but stay out of trouble!" The king bellowed as they left, earning a playful smack on the arm, courtesy of his wife.

Nico found him in a situation he'd never been in; he was leaving the castle to attempt to enjoy himself. To have _fun_. He wasn't sure if this was a blessing or a death sentence. 

Soon enough, he found himself in the back of the group. Hazel and Kayla were in the lead, chatting each other up, and Will and Austin were right in front of him, talking about archery and music. Then, Nico walked at least five steps behind them.

Suddenly, without his knowledge, Austin and Will stopped until Nico accidentally wedged himself between them, and then they picked up their pace again. Nico shot a glance at Will, who smiled at him and leaned down to whisper, "I thought you should meet Austin."

Nico felt his cheeks flush at the close proximity and immediately jolted away, coincidently knocking into Austin, who said, "Woah! Easy tiger."

Nico straightened his spine and looked ahead, only to see Hazel looking over her shoulder at him. He glared, but she winked at him, as if saying, 'be nice'. Then, she resumed her conversation with Kayla, leaving Nico to talk to Austin.

"Uh... my names Nico di Angelo. But you probably already knew that." Austin nodded and smiled. "Yeah. And you probably already know that my name is Austin. But it's nice to meet you."

Nico nodded, not really sure where to go from there. But Austin picked the conversation back up by saying, "So do you like Diell?" As he finished, the group stepped out of the main entrance to the castle and into the warm rays of Diell's glorious sun.

Nico blew out a huff of air and said, "It's bright." Austin laughed, and Nico continued, "But yeah. It's pretty nice. It's also really hot, how do you people stand it?" This earned him a laugh from Will as well.

"You get used to it. You also don't wear black." He added, gesturing to Nico's black tunic, hood, pants, and boots.

Nico rolled his eyes and stuck his hands back in his pocket, hiding his red flushed cheeks. _How was I supposed to know I would be touring Diell today?_ He thought to himself as he silently prayed for his cheeks to tone down their crimson hue.

 "So what are we gonna see first, guys?" Kayla asked, affectively earning the boy's attention. 

"I was thinking we could check out the beach first." Austin offered, and Kayla shrugged. "That sounds lovely, except for the fact that I don't want to get sand in my shoes and the sand is probably as comfortable as hot coals."

Will rolled his eyes. "You're just afraid of sharks."

"You got me there." Kayla sarcastically added, and Will chuckled. "No but seriously, we're about to reach the gates, we need to hurry up and pick."

 "Oh! How about the Lake of Reflektim? I heard that the water hawthorns are in full bloom." Will piped in, and Hazel's eyes brightened. 

"That sounds wonderful!" She exclaimed, and Kayla raised a fist. "The Lake of Reflektim it is then!"

As everyone seemed to murmur in agreement, Nico couldn't help his curiosity as he whispered to Will, "Why is it called that?"

Will smiled at Nico's interest. "Well, it's called the Lake of Reflektim for the complete opposite reason. They say that when settlers first came to Diell, they came across a lake so pure that it was completely clear. So, as a way to hide it from opposing kingdoms, they named it Reflektim so people would assume you couldn't see underwater from the surface and find it not worth checking out. Even when word got out that the water was completely clear, the name still stuck."

Nico pondered on the explanation in his head for a moment before saying, "So... you can basically put your hand under the surface and not even be able to tell it's underwater? It's that clear?"

Will nodded as Austin added, "It's so clear, you can see the bottom of the lake. All one hundred and thirteen feet. In fact, it's so clear, it looks shallow, even though it's not. At all."

Such a concept seemed impossible to Nico, but he merely nodded, suddenly anxious to see the water feature they spoke so fondly of. Kayla snickered from up front, and said, "Do you guys think we'll finally find Austin's underwear?"

Said prince immediately began yelling at his sister in fury and embarrassment. Meanwhile, Will and Kayla howled at his reaction, even as he begged them to stop laughing at him.

Hazel laughed at the dynamic between the three, and Nico was standing there utterly bewildered. Will seemed to pick up on his confusion and calmed himself down to the point where he could speak as he said, "One time we decided to go impromptu swimming, so we had to swim in our clothes. It was all fun and games-"

"Until some _one_ ," Kayla interjected. "Decided to cliff dive and lose his boxers while he was at it."

Austin began saying embarrassing things about his siblings in hopes of overshadowing his own shame. Nico caught only bits of what he was saying. Something about Kayla throwing up during a diplomatic meeting and Will getting kicked in the gut by a horse whilst trying to impress someone. But for some strange reason, he didn't feel completely annoyed by the people surrounding him. Even as they talked relentlessly without so much as a break for breath, he found himself oddly appreciating his time with them. And that was arguably one of the nicest thoughts he had ever had regarding people other than Hazel.

Speaking of which, the princess was laughing so hard her side was hurting. She had to lean into Kayla for support, who was currently arguing with Will over which one of them had the worst thirteenth birthday. 

As the siblings of Diell bickered around him, Nico took in his surroundings while they walked through the winding streets of Diell. The roads were paved with massive chunks of limestone, and people bustled back and forth, some talking to each other as if having a nice stroll on a lovely day, while others lugged around massive carts of fruits and other goods to sell. Now that Nico was up close to the buildings, he could see that they weren't just comprised of sandstone. Some were made of limestone, just as the road was, and others were made of bricks, stones you would find in a cave, and, to his surprise, straw and bamboo. Another thing that caught his attention was the fact that seemingly every window in Diell was unlatched; shudders were thrown open and curtains were quietly flapping in the wind. Laundry lines dangled above the street, connected to buildings on opposite sides of the street. Then, in the distance, a bright light shown on the horizon, and Nico immediately recognized it as the ocean reflecting the sun rays from above.

Suddenly, he seemed to snap back into reality as Will and Kayla began arguing one-on-one. Not even Nico could keep the corners of his mouth from tugging upward when Kayla told them about how she had successfully slammed Will's face into his cake when he leaned over it to blow his candles out. By the time Will finished firing back by telling everyone about her first experiences in surfing, they were veering off the main road in Diell and heading into a forest. 

Nico was grateful for the sudden shade granted to him by the bright green trees looming above them, and Hazel was fascinated by the butterflies and dragonflies flying through the air. She caught sight of squirrels scurrying up tree trunks, birds chirping from their nests, and a small brown rabbit with speckled white spots darting from one bush to another.

Will stared at the princess and smiled at her awe, then turned to Nico to see his reaction. Though the hood had been covering his face, Will saw his head moving from side to side, as if trying to see everything he possibly could. 

Then, Kayla took a sharp turn to the right, and the forest seemed to get darker. Although she had been surrounded by the night her entire life, Hazel couldn't help but feel a shiver climb up her spine as she walked into the darkened brush. It just felt so wrong for a place of light and beauty to have a little pocket of cold and darkness. 

But her fears were soon discarded as the group stepped through a curtain of vines to reveal, what Hazel felt was, a utopia of sorts. A rainbow peaked out from a nearby waterfall as it crashed into the smooth surface of the Lake of Reflektim. Nico and Hazel simultaneously gasped as they realized the children of Diell hadn't been exaggerating about the clearness of the water. They approached the rim of the lake and Hazel knelt down, slowly immersing her hand into the water. She and Nico gaped as they saw that her hand looked completely dry; almost as if it had never even broken the barrier between air and water. She pulled her hand out of the lake and wiped it on her dress before turning to look at Kayla. 

"Is it... magic?" She asked uncertainly. Kayla chuckled and shook her head. 

"No it's not magic. To be honest, I'm not sure what it is either, but I promise it's not magic." Hazel and Nico nodded, still thoroughly confused by the crystal clear water. "Come on guys!" Kayla exclaimed as she quickly ripped her flats off and picked her skirt up about two feet above the ground. Hazel gasped with delight and did the same before following Kayla into the water. Austin didn't even bother with his shoes and just walked in without a care in the world. Will was going to join his siblings when he noticed a certain prince with no desire to step foot in the lake.

"Hey Nico." He said as he watched Austin kick water at Kayla, splashing water on her skirt. 

Nico only nodded in acknowledgement, not meeting his gaze or engaging conversation. Will understood that that was probably Nico's equivalent to shouting his greetings and enveloping someone in a hug. So he smiled at the prince and looked back at the waterfall. With a snicker, he pointed to the cliff beside it and said, "That's where Austin lost his trousers."

Nico blew out a breath of humor and nodded. "And you guys have yet to find them?" He inquired, knowing the answer. Will nodded regardless as Kayla grabbed a handful of Austin's braids and shoved him into the lake. He made a splash as he made contact with the surface, and as Kayla howled her laughter, he grabbed her ankle and in moments Kayla's laughter turned into shouts of fury as she went underwater too.

Although the scene was hilarious in Will's opinion, he couldn't help but yell, "Guys! We still have to go places today and now you're all wet!"

Kayla sat up, her skirt floating in the water around her and revealing the pants she wore underneath. She groaned as she realized he was right and splashed Austin again, as if saying, 'thanks a lot'. He splashed her right back.

Hazel watched the ordeal and was laughing so hard her side was hurting all over again. "Oh! Let's go shopping!" She suddenly exclaimed, catching everyone's attention. 

Kayla shrugged and said, "Sure, why not." Austin nodded in agreement, and Will turned to Nico. 

"What do you think?" He asked, and Nico shrugged. "I don't really care."

Will smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey while we're there, we could get you some nice earrings-" This earned him a sharp jab to the side and Nico's scowl. Though the latter would never admit it, his ears were in fact pierced, and he had been growing rather tired of his stud-like earrings. Regardless, Will was chuckling at his reaction as he held his stomach in pain.

"Shut up or I'll do the same thing again with my sword." Will held his arms in the air in defeat, and Nico crossed his arms. 

"Nico!" Hazel exclaimed, catching his attention. She was clumsily trudging through the water, and she finally broke free of it and ran to him, still holding her skirt above the ground. "I saw these fish that were silver, and the sun made it look like they were rainbow colored! And then there was this turtle! It was so cute!" She went on rambling for a little while longer, and Nico watched as Will walked over to where Kayla and Austin were slowly making their out of the lake.

They were just out of earshot, so he couldn't hear what Will said that made Kayla kick water at him as well. He could hear Will's laugh echo around the forest, and watched as the sun caught on his golden hair. His smile was spread wide, allowing his pearly whites to be seen by anyone who looked at him. And his eyes were twinkling so bright it made Nico's breath hitch.

"Hello?" Hazel exclaimed, waving a hand over her brother's eyes. "You still there?" Nico snapped out of his daze, momentarily forgetting where he was. But when he met Hazel's confused stare, he shook his head. "Yeah, what were you talking about?"

"The rocks at the bottom of the lake." She replied, and he nodded, his gaze not entirely off of Will. He had known from the very first time he met the prince that he found him attractive. He just did, but it was like how Nico thought his stepmother was beautiful. It was just obvious.

It was obvious that Will was handsome with his freckle specked cheeks, tanned skin, golden curls, and obnoxiously bright blue eyes. It was obvious.

And Nico already established that, so he wondered why he sometimes felt the need to stare at Will a little longer then he should. 

"So then there was- did you zone out _again_?" Hazel asked, slightly louder at the end of her sentence. Nico rapidly shook his head. "Definitely not!" She raised an eyebrow. "You were talking about the rainbow on the waterfall..?" He guessed.

"Yeah, I did. Like two sentences ago. What's up with you?" She asked. Usually Nico was invested in her rambles, even though sometimes he couldn't care less. So it was odd for him to zone out on her. Twice, no less. 

Nico sighed and looked at the ground, suddenly feeling defeated. "I'm sorry Hazel, I'm just really tired." Her eyes softened and she nodded in understanding. 

"Alright. That's fine, but can you help me find my shoe?" She asked sheepishly. Nico chuckled at her, and Hazel smiled at his positive reaction. "Alright." He said as he uncrossed his arms and began walking along the bank of the lake, in search of her missing black shoe.

He was nearing the waterfall when the unfamiliar sensation of being watched washed over his senses. At first, Nico decided not to acknowledge it, but when it became too much, he stopped walking. The feeling wouldn't waver in its intensity, and it was like an itch in the back of his mind. Like someone was breathing down his neck. Nico whipped towards the forest only to see a sliver of a shadow dart behind a tree. 

He swallowed and walked closer to the tree line, his hand inching towards the handle of his blade. 

"Nico!" Someone called. He turned to find Hazel looking at him. "I found it!" She shouted, waving her missing shoe around for emphasis. He nodded, and took one last look into the forest. 

After a moment of hesitation, he sighed and walked away. 

Hazel found it wedged between two rocks, and shoved it on her foot as Kayla wrung out her skirt.

"So we're really going shopping?" Austin asked Will as he shook his leg, hoping to fling water off of his soaked pants. Will laughed and shrugged. "I don't want to. Do you think we could split up? We could check out the plaza with Nico."

The two boys turned to Kayla, as if looking for approval. She met their stare with a raised brow and said, "I don't care. I'm not your mom."

They shared a small victory by quietly exclaiming, "Yes!" Kayla rolled her eyes as Hazel giggled. 

"Come on Hazel. Let's get away from those two losers." Kayla said, and took Hazel by the hand before leading her back into the forest. For a moment, Nico worried that whatever he saw might go after the two, but calmed his nerves by convincing himself that whatever he saw was likely an animal or a trick of the light.

"Nico!" Austin yelled, catching his attention. "You coming?" He gestured to the path he was walking on to reach the plaza. Nico hurriedly caught up with them as the two siblings began talking about the summer solstice. He zoned them out and looked around. The trees in Lunares were never this lively and green. The animals were vicious and predatorial, not sweet and chubby and cute. And the birds in his kingdom never sang, but the ones in Diell communicated through their own symphonies. Sun broke through small holes in the trees above and left small spots on the ground for the plants on the forest floor. Although Nico didn't say anything, he found everything in Diell rather beautiful.

"... oh man, the party this year is gonna be insane!" The sentence entered his eardrums and made him pause. 

"Party?" He asked, catching the attention of Austin and Will. 

"Yeah! No one told you?" Nico shook his head. "Well, every year we celebrate the summer solstice by throwing a huge gala with a theme. This year it's a masquerade. And we invite every royal family from the surrounding kingdoms. But now that I think about it..." He trailed and turned his body to fully look at Nico. "You're family never came, did they?"

If anyone else had asked him that question, Nico would've thought they were trying to pick a fight with him. But he could tell Will was genuinely curious.

"My father never told me about any invitations. So I never knew this was a thing. Besides, my father finds things like parties frivolous and unnecessary." Will frowned, and Austin said, "Well that sucks. So you're telling me you've never been to a party? What about your birthdays? Does your kingdom have celebrations for those like ours?"

Nico shrugged. "I guess I get cake on my birthday. Does that count?" Austin snorted. 

"You poor, misguided soul." He said, wiping an imaginary tear from his face. Will laughed at his brother and looked back at Nico, who had shoved his hands in his pockets. 

"Is cake all you get?" Austin continued. "What about candy? Ice cream? Presents?"

Nico seemed to think about this for a moment. "I get presents from my family. I don't really see the appeal in candy and ice cream so I've never tried it. Hazel loves it though."

His words stopped Austin and Will in their tracks. "You've never had ice cream?!"

Nico tilted his head. "No..?" He replied, making Austin scoff. "Then I guess that's what we're doing first."

"Wait what?" Nico asked as Will nodded in agreement with Austin.

"We're getting you ice cream!" Will explained, making Nico roll his eyes. 

"But I don't want it-"

"But you've never tried it."

"But still-"

"Just give it a try! You might be surprised!" This made Nico groan, but his arguing ceased. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it was at this part that i accidentally clicked out of the tab and lost all of the work i did for an hour, so out of fury i'm ending this chapter right here and i'll make it a two parter. so i hope you enjoyed reading it cause it was a real pain in my butt to write it.


	9. People Suck PT 2

Nico found himself walking between the two princes, and because of his short height, Will and Austin had no problem talking to each other with nothing blocking their view. Nico, on the other hand, had quite a few problems with it, so he decided to walk ahead of them as his foot made contact with the paved streets of the kingdom. 

Because it was nearing midday, much to Nico's dismay, more people were walking around, some with baskets on their heads, some with babies on their backs, and some skipping around in the bright rays of the sun. But all of them paused to stare at him as he passed. 

He watched as a mother pulled her child closer when Nico came closer, and he noticed vendors inch their hands to the doors of their shop, waiting to close if he made a move to go inside. But Nico didn't blame them. In a place of life and light and beauty, a scary man in all black and a sword isn't something you'd necessarily smile at. Yet, what hurt was that he received these same stares in his own kingdom, and he had had a sliver of hope that maybe Diell was different. 

It wasn't, yet that didn't surprise him. But he heard laughter behind him suddenly, and looked around. It was coming from the two princes he had practically left in his dust. He watched them walk through the streets without a care in the world, laughing and smiling brightly at each other and anyone who walked beside them. Mothers gave them bows and kind waves, to which they returned, and children gaped at them in awe and admiration, which prompted the two to give them high-fives. A weird feeling swelled in Nico's chest at the sight of such happiness, but he stomped it down before he could even dwell on it. When Will and Austin caught up with him, Nico chose to walk beside Austin and listen in on their conversation while trying to ignore the fearful looks being shot his way.

"... and told me that if I just drop my music lessons, I can take something like business management or economic studies, which, personally, sounds like hell." Will laughed before replying, "Dude, you have to take those courses at some point. Might as well get them over with now."

Austin scoffed. "It doesn't matter if I ace them or not, everyone knows you're gonna get the crown. And I couldn't care less, because kings can't travel the world and play music for people." Austin paused and snorted. "But dude, imagine how fat you're gonna get after eating so much food and sitting around doing paperwork all day." That earned him a jab to the side, courtesy of his annoyed older brother.

"Lay off man. We don't know if I'm getting the crown. And besides, I'm not gonna get fat!" Austin rolled his eyes. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." Nico was so busy listening to their conversation, he didn't notice the child spinning around beside him until his head made contact with Nico's leg. He fell to the ground with a small grunt, and sat up.

Nico took in his bright yellow locks and brown eyes, right up until the point the child looked up at him and gasped. Nico couldn't imagine what he must've looked like to this kid. With his paper white skin and dark brown eyes, and black attire, he could've been the monster the boy's mother told him about before bedtime. But nevertheless, he bent down to grab the small wooden bird the boy had dropped. 

The child watched in horror as the man in black stooped downwards and reached a hand out. He could vaguely hear his mother telling him the story of the grim reaper, the hooded figure that took little boys and girls to their deaths when they were bad. Finally, when the boy found the strength to move, he screeched and scrambled backward, nearly bumping into a barrel of apples before shooting onto his feet and running, completely forgetting his favorite toy.

Austin and Will watched the entire exchange with frowns on their faces, up until the point where Nico stood back up and shoved the toy in his pocket. "Mine now." He mumbled before walking ahead once more, the walls around his heart reinforcing with every step. Austin blew out a breath of air and mumbled, "Awkward."

Will didn't share his humor. He watched Nico walk farther away with a frown on his face, wishing that the poor prince didn't have to go through that. And from the way he acted, it seemed he was used to it. But nonetheless, Will didn't want to pry into Nico's personal life anymore then he already had, and he was determined to get the prince ice cream before the day was done. Speaking of which, as he snapped back into reality, his eyes caught a bright, yellow sign with the words 'Ice Cream' painted on it in sloppy letters. The vendor was a child, but Will had a special place in his heart for children trying to make a living on the streets, and he was also impressed that this child decided to go into business rather than stealing.

So he walked up to the wooden stand and said with a bright smile, "Hi! I'm prince William, this is my brother, prince Austin. Could we have a cone of your greatest flavor?" The child stared at him in awe, his mouth gaping open, revealing a missing front tooth. But when he got over his astonishment, he gave them a knowing smile and nodded. "Yeah! Give me a sec."

The child ran to the back of his little stand, and Will listened to him rustle around inside. Nico stood beside him silently, watching the entire exchange go down. In fact, he was so quiet, Will didn't notice him until he said, "Why'd you pick a kid's stand?"

Will gasped ad nearly jumped out of his skin, but forced himself to cough into his fist and say nonchalantly, "Oh! I just... I wanna see if he's any good at this, that's all." Nico frowned but nodded, not knowing how excited he was about having his food served to him by a child.

When he turned back, the boy was holding a waffle cone with chocolate in it. The boy sheepishly mumbled, "I only have vanilla and chocolate, but I like chocolate more, so I thought you might too." Will gave a victorious laugh and said, "That's perfect! Thanks so much!"

Then, he calmly set a bag of gold coins on his counter. The child gaped at it and said, "B-But this is only five silver coins mister-" Will pat his head. "Thanks! But you can have it." Nico squinted his eyes as the boy's widened. Then, his small fingers wrapped around the red velvet pouch, which probably cost the same as a hotel room on its own, and rapidly nodded his head.

He promptly ran away to show his friends as Will gestured for Nico to take the treat. He raised a brow and reluctantly took it from Will. He could feel the cold radiating from the dessert, and looked up at Will. Said prince gestured to it. "Try it, I promise you won't die."

Nico didn't quite believe that, but did as he was asked and took a bite. Will and Austin practically screeched as Nico chomped down on the frozen treat, but watched with anticipation as Nico's taste buds processed it.

The texture was like nothing he had ever experienced before; it was solid, but then it wasn't, and it melted on his tongue, spreading the flavor. It was insane to him, and felt as though he was seeing a whole new world. It exploded through his mouth and left him practically drooling for more of the cold, melted, sweetness that was ice cream. 

Austin and Will were wincing as Nico took bite after bite, not caring that he was staining his outfit and his chin as he consumed every last bit of his ice cream. When he finally got to the cone, he began chomping into it, suddenly trusting Will completely when it came to food. Again, he was not disappointed, and crunched his way through it.

When he finally finished, it was like coming off of a high. He suddenly felt bland and sluggish, like that treat was the only thing that could ever keep him going. But when he looked up, he asked in a confused voice, "What's wrong with you two?"

Austin was practically hiding behind Will and cringing so hard he would have wrinkles later. Will was watching Nico intently and seemed very uncomfortable for some reason. "What?" He asked, and Will shook his head, a smile on his features. 

"That was super freaky dude, but it was cool too. Do you even know how fast you finished that thing?" Nico slowly shook his head, and Will laughed. "Let me get you some napkins." Nico nodded and flushed when he saw his stained shirt. 

"You used your teeth..." Nico looked up at Austin, who was still looking incredibly scared. "You bit into it..." Nico inclined his head, wanting Austin to get to the point. But then Will came back, and handed the prince a handful of napkins. Nico began wiping at his face and his tunic, thankful that he was wearing black and not white.

"What's wrong with biting?" He asked when the worst of the dessert was off his shirt. Will scoffed, but when Nico didn't say anything, he gasped. "Do you really not have sensitivity in your teeth?" Nico tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Why would my teeth be sensitive?"

Will gasped, and Austin rolled his eyes. "You had to ask him a medical question?"

Will punched his arm and explained, "So teeth are made up of different layers, and some people are born with teeth that are super sensitive to any sort of extreme temperatures, which is why it hurts to eat cold or hot stuff. It's cause the dentin gets exposed, and when that happens, cold and hot things have a direct way to get inside the root of the tooth and thus a sharp feeling of pain occurs in the teeth when your roots are exposed to extreme changes in temperature. But most people have at least a little sensitivity to extremely high or low temperatures, yet you seem completely unaffected. Did you even feel it?" It took Nico a moment to process Will's paragraph, but he just silently shook his head.

Will's eyes lit up, and Nico thought of the sun. "That's awesome dude!" He slapped Nico's shoulder, a friendly gesture that seemed foreign to the prince, and he was going to ask him to not touch him again had a voice not said, "What do you guys think?" 

All three boys turned around to see Kayla and Hazel standing behind them. Kayla was dressed in a pair of white, cloth shorts with cheap suspenders and a bland, tan shirt. But Hazel... 

Nico thought that Kayla must've taken advantage of being able to dress someone else, because Hazel was in a bright, colorful sundress that contrasted her coffee brown skin and hazelnut hair. Hazel seemed very happy with the outfit, and even gave them a little curtsy, to which Austin and Will returned. "What do you think, Nico?" She asked, and the prince felt his shoulders tense up. But, he calmly replied with, "You look beautiful."

She gave him a cheeky smile and started a conversation with Austin, to which the prince seemed more than happy to be involved in. Nico felt a presence beside him, and a few seconds later, Will said, "You okay? You got a little stressed there."

Nico scoffed. "I'm fine. Go stick your nose in someone else's business." Will raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, jeez. Hey, whatever happened to being nicer to me?"

Nico shrugged, and replied, "I guess I just don't know you enough to be nice to you." The mischievous gleam in Will's eyes both thoroughly annoyed Nico and made him rather flustered. "That sounds like a challenge."

"It most certainly isn't, Solace." Nico retorted, facing the blond haired prince, who just smiled smugly and turned to Hazel. 

"Your highness." He said, catching her attention. He wasted no time in slinging an arm around Nico's shoulders and saying, "Nico and I are going to go explore the city together. Is that alright with you?"

Hazel giggled and nodded. "Of course! I don't mind at all."

"Perfect, you are a ray of sunshine your highness." Will said, and walked away, taking Nico with him. The dark haired prince tugged himself free and glared. "Don't touch me." He finally spat, shoving his hands in his pockets. The prince of Diell said, "Yeah, sorry about that. But on the bright side, it's just you and me now, and you get pick where we go." 

Nico rolled his eyes and replied, "I don't know what's here. I don't live here, remember?" Will scoffed. "Of course I remembered that, but is there something you like other than fighting? And sulking?" Nico jabbed him in the gut.

"Shut up. I have no clue where to go." He said, staring at his feet as they walked. "Well... we have libraries. Our coliseums aren't in use anymore, but they are tourist attractions. We have the beach, and given your clear lack of vitamin D, I would make us go there if it was up to me-"

"So we're definitely not going to the beach. Thank you for narrowing down my options." Nico said, and Will rolled his eyes. "We have other lakes, the Bridge of Ylber-"

"That one." Will paused. "Another lake?" Nico sighed. "The Bridge of Ylber. The one with the rainbows?" Will looked as though a lightbulb went off in his head, and said, "Right! The rainbow bridge. Okay, let's go. It's about a mile walk- oh we can't go that way, that way is through the plaza. " 

Nico scoffed. "Wouldn't want to scare off all the tourists." Will laughed, and said, "Nah, I just know that you hate big crowds, so we're gonna go the back way." Then, he led him through an alleyway. Nico found himself walking through the, surprisingly clean, backstreets of Diell. Laundry was strung high above their heads, creating temporary shade as the walked along the sandstone path, hidden from the view of anyone on the main street.

This route was practically deserted, much to Nico's relief, and the only people that entered his view besides Will were mothers dumping buckets of water on the ground from their windows or children darting through alleys and doorways. Will seemed weirdly content with walking in a back alleyway.

"You seem oddly familiar with this place." Nico commented, catching Will's attention. The prince shrugged, and said, "When Kayla, Austin and I were kids, we used to play in the streets all the time, trying to see who could lose their bodyguards for the longest time. These back alleyways were perfect escape routes, and crime is so minimal in Diell that we never had to worry about being mugged or kidnapped, so I got used to them." Nico nodded, and paused when he felt a tug on his jacket.

He turned around, and didn't blink as he stared down the child that had bumped into him earlier. The kid seemed scared, which wasn't surprising, but he also had a look of quiet determination, and which Nico didn't understand. But he listened as the kid swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "I- um... I'm s-sorry mister... I'm sorry for being rude..." He mumbled, fumbling with the hem of his shirt.

This was new to Nico. When people offended him in his kingdom, the apologies were frantic, horrified, and desperate. Like they were only saying this so they wouldn't be executed. This child was calmer, more sincere. But because of that, all of the words on Nico's tongue evaporated until he looked like a gasping fish, opening and closing his mouth with nothing coming out. Finally deciding how to respond, his hand reached into his pocket and grabbed the small wooden bird before holding it out towards the boy.

He gasped and all but yanked it from Nico's hands, his eyes glistening with excitement. But he faltered, and looked back up at Nico, trying to locate where his eyes were from under the hood. Giving up, he murmured a meek thank you and barreled down the alley before vanishing to the right. Will made a 'huh' noise, the kind you make when you find something uncanny. Nico looked at him and raised a brow. "What?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I thought you said that was yours now?" Nico's cheeks heated. 

"I just... I didn't expect him to come back. That's all. Of course I was gonna return it." Nico replied, and walked ahead of Will. The prince smiled out of his view and ran to catch up so Nico didn't get lost.


End file.
